MALI/MAURITANIA – The African Development Bank (AfDB) is providing a financial boost of US$302.9 million to Mauritania and Mali to support the construction of an electricity line connecting the two nations.
The loan consists of US$269.6 million for Mauritania and US$33.3 million for Mali.
The loan will support the construction of an electricity transmission line connecting the two countries.
The project will involve multiple solar power plants. The electricity interconnection project between Mali and Mauritania is gradually being implemented, with the support of development partners.
The project, which will require an investment of US$888 million, involves the construction of a 225 kV high-voltage transmission line between Mali and Mauritania.
The power line will be constructed in three segments, with one in Mali and two in Mauritania, spanning a total length of 1,500 km.
The project will enable the installation of 2,000 km of medium- and low-voltage electricity distribution network along its route.
This is a strategic project for the AfDB, which has included it in its Desert to Power program. Two solar power plants, each with a capacity of 50 MWp, will be constructed in Kiffa and Néma, Mauritania.
The electricity generated will be transmitted through the new high-voltage line, which has a transmission capacity of 600 MW.According to the AfDB, the interconnection project between Mauritania and Mali will enable 100,000 new households (80,000 in Mauritania and 20,000 in Mali) to be connected to the electricity grid in the areas it passes through.
In addition, the project will create opportunities for agricultural entrepreneurship and services for young people and women.
Furthermore, the interconnection will enable the development of new renewable energy power stations, integrating their production more effectively into the interconnected networks.
“Bringing them online will facilitate access to high-quality, low-carbon electricity at an affordable price,” assures the financial institution based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
“The consistent availability of reliable electricity at an affordable price will enhance the resilience of the communities in the recipient areas,” explained Adalbert Nshimyumuremyi, the head of the AfDB country office in Mali.
“In Mali, the project will be implemented in the Kayes region and will benefit 500,000 inhabitants, including 20,000 households in the 50 localities that will be connected to the network.”
The African Development Bank’s Desert to Power program aims to tap into the solar potential of the Sahel region by developing an installed capacity of 10,000 MW.
The 11 beneficiary countries include Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan.
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