AMEA Power launches 50MW solar plant in West Africa
DUBAI, June 22, 2021
AMEA Power, a subsidiary of UAE-based Al Nowais Investments (ANI), has begun commissioning of its 50MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at Blitta in the West African nation of Togo.
The Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed PV plant marks the country’s first utility-scale renewable energy project developed by an Independent Power Producer (IPP), and one of the largest solar PV IPP plants in West Africa.
It was supported with concessional loans from the West African Development Bank (BOAD) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).
Officially named after HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the PV plant has been delivered in record time, with just 18 months between the signing of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and commencement of commercial operations, said the statement from ANI.
Built by AMEA Togo Solar, a subsidiary of AMEA Power, the plant, located 267km from Togo’s capital, Lomé, has a planned production of nearly 90,255 MWh of power per year.
This will supply power to approximately 158,333 Togolese households per year, with 9% of energy generation feeding into the local Blitta distribution network, enough to meet demand in the area, it added.
The power plant will be operated for 25 years by AMEA Togo Solar, saving more than 1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over the course of its life, said senior officials at the opening ceremony which was attended by President of Togo Faure Gnassingbé, Prime Minister Victoire Tomegah Dogbé and AMEA Power’s Chairman, Hussain Al Nowais.
Several senior officials including Minister Delegate to the President in charge of Energy and Mines Mila Aziable; Director of Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo Laré Santiégou and the Deputy Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), Khalifa Al Qubaisi also took part.
The plant is instrumental in supporting Togo’s ambitious $8 billion 2018 – 2022 National Development Plan (NDP), which aims to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030 and to increase the share of renewables in the energy mix to 50%.
Al Nowais said: "We are delighted to launch the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed PV plant in Togo, which was an obvious choice for AMEA Power’s first operational power plant in Africa, as it is an important trade hub in West Africa."
"This is an incredibly exciting time for AMEA Power, and we are on track to becoming one of the fastest-growing renewable energy IPPs, with several additional projects set to achieve financial close in 2021," he added.
Aziable said: "The development of the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed PV plant is an excellent example of a successful PPP in Africa, with AMEA Power utilising Togo’s committed implementation unit and favourable investment climate to pre-fund a large-scale renewable energy project on balance sheet."
"We are delighted to have worked with a team of such highly-skilled professionals with demonstrated know-how in the energy sector," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
