Construction Begins On 30 MW PV Project In Burkina Faso

• Urbasolar has started work on a 30 MW solar power project in Burkina Faso under PPP arrangement with the state government
• The project is being built in Boucle du Mouhoun region and on completion will generate 51.7 GWh annually
• Power produced will be sold to Sonabel for CFA 48 per kWh, as against the cost of CFA 130 per kWh that thermal power costs

A 30 MW solar power project in Burkina Faso entered the construction phase. French PV developer Urbasolar started work on the Pâ Photovoltaic Power Plant in Boucle du Mouhoun region. Being developed under a public private partnership (PPP) model with the state of Burkina Faso, the 30 MW facility will supply clean power to Pâ, Wona, Houndé, Yaramoko, Boromo regions on completion.

Construction on the plant is expected to last 10 months and once it is online the 30 MW facility is expected to generate 51.7 GWh annually.

Swiss utility Axpo Holding owned Urbasolar says power generated will be sold to national utility Sonabel for CFA 48 ($0.081) per kWh compared to the current rate of CFA 130 ($0.22) per kWh for thermal power. 

"The photovoltaic power plant will accelerate the development of the Boucle du Mouhoun region by producing the equivalent of the consumption of 150,000 households each year. It will also allow Burkina to go from a rate of 3% of the population with access to energy, to 19%," said Urbasolar.

Recently, Schneider Electric Solar Spain and Qbera Capital announced a partnership to set up 75 MW solar PV capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa targeting the commercial and industrial sectors, starting with 15 MW to be rolled out in Mali, Ghana and Burkina Faso (see Schneider Electric & Qbera Join Hands For Africa Solar).