Savannah inks deal with Niger govt for 250-MW wind project

African‑focused energy company Savannah Energy PLC is planning to build an up to 250-MW wind farm in Niger for which it just signed an agreement with the country’s energy ministry.

Savannah, through a project subsidiary, wants to install and operate up to 60 turbines as part of its Parc Eolien de la Tarka project in the Tahoua Region of Southern Niger. The agreement with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energies for the independent power producer (IPP) project has been inked Monday.

The British company will complete a feasibility study to assess the wind resource and the grid connection options. It noted that Niger is to be connected to the West African Power Pool (WAPP) next year, which is good news for such renewables projects.

Savannah expects a decision on the project in 2023, so that first power can be generated in 2025. The plan for now is to finance the project with cash on hand and project-specific debt.

“The independent studies conducted to date indicate the Tahoua region of Niger to have a world class wind resource. The Project is expected to harness this resource and generate highly competitive, clean, indigenous power for Niger,” commented Andrew Knott, CEO of Savannah Energy. He added that the project could boost the country's on-grid power capacity by over 40%.

The company says Parc Eolien de la Tarka would reduce electricity costs for locals, while also exporting to neighbouring countries. The expected annual generation could reach 600 GWh and offset 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

This is the first of several large greenfield renewable energy projects being planned by Savannah. More announcement are expected in the next 12 months.

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