IFC Backs 40 MW PV Project In Afghanistan

• Afghanistan government will get IFC help in designing and tendering a solar power project of 40 MW capacity
• This project is planned to act as a new model for the country to explore and achieve its 2 GW solar power target
• IFC will help identify, prioritize, structure and tender the project that will attract private participation
• The 40 MW plant will be funded by the UK Department of International Development through DevCo, a multi-donor facility affiliated with the Private Infrastructure Development Group, and by the Global Infrastructure Facility

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) will help Afghanistan design and tender a 40 MW solar PV plant that is planned to become a 'new model for subsequent solar projects' which is supposed to help the country move ahead in its overarching target of 2 GW of solar power capacity.

IFC will extend its expertise in competitively tendering the project under a public private partnership (PPA) model that is hoped to attract solar power companies develop the PV plant. It will help identify, prioritize, structure and tender the project, said Mouayed Makhlouf, IFC's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

This project will be funded by the UK Department of International Development through DevCo, a multi-donor facility affiliated with the Private Infrastructure Development Group, and by the Global Infrastructure Facility.

The IFC says only about 28% of the population is connected to the grid in the country that has faced conflicts for three decades now. It is forced to import up to 80% of its energy and still some parts of it face power outages for up to 15 hours in a day sometimes.

In February 2018, the national utility of the country DABS signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for two PV projects of 15 MW each with private companies, one local and one Turkey based (see Afghanistan Signs PPAs For 30 MW).