The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund, the concessional window of the African Development Bank Group (Afdb), has approved a loan of 302.9 million dollars in co-financing for a multinational energy project that will connect 100,000 families in Mauritania and Mali. We learn this from an Afdb statement.
The 225 kV electrical interconnection and solar power plant development project is part of the Desert to Power initiative. The funds include $269.6 million for Mauritania and $33.3 million for Mali. Other partners, including climate funds, will contribute to the cost of the project, estimated at $888 million.
The Mauritania-Mali electricity interconnection project, combined with the development of solar power plants, represents a strategic investment to support rapid solar energy production and ensure universal access to electricity in the two Sahel countries.
The project will establish a high-voltage electricity interconnection over 1,373 kilometers, with a transfer capacity of 600 megawatts (Mw) between the two countries; build a 50 MW solar power plant in Kiffa, Mauritania, connected to the interconnection, and connect 100,000 new families (80,000 in Mauritania and 20,000 in Mali) to the electricity grid in the areas crossed by the cable. The project will also create opportunities for youth and women to start agricultural and service businesses. [Da Redazione InfoAfrica]
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