To be implemented over a seven-year period from January 2024 to December 2030, the $888-million project will increase solar power generation capacity throughout the region. The project serves as part of the Desert to Power initiative and aims to increase solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in the Sahel region by 10 GW by the end of the decade, while providing 250 million people with access to electricity.

Solar Grid Expansion

With a 600 MW capacity, the interconnection line will feature the auxiliary development of solar plants planned in the region. As part of the project, two solar plants, each with a capacity of 50 MWp, will be constructed in the Mauritanian towns of Kiffa and Néma. Electricity produced from the solar PV plants will be transported via the high-voltage line, which will feature 1,373 km of medium- and low-voltage electricity distribution networks along its route through the Sahel, connecting Mauritania to Chad via Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in its first phase.

The project will connect 100,000 new households to the power grid in areas crossed by the interconnection line. Of this, 80,000 households will be connected in Mauritania across 150 agropastoral localities, while 20,000 new households will be connected to the grid across 50 localities in Mali’s Kayes Region.

A recent report by the International Renewable Energy Agency shows that Mali has the potential to produce up to 398.7 GW of solar energy and 1.25 GW of wind energy. The findings – conducted with assistance from the government-led Mali Renewable Energy Agency – highlight that the majority of this potential is situated in the southern and southwestern parts of Mali, aligning with the areas of development for the interconnection initiative.

Desert to Power Initiative

The multinational Desert to Power initiative is a program led by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and aims to support the development of solar power and storage systems in 11 countries in the Sahel – Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan. Last December, the AfDB – through its concessional window arm the African Development Fund – approved $302.9 million in financing for the initiative’s Mauritania-Mali interconnection project. The loan comprises $269.6 million in financing for Mauritania and $33.3 million for Mali. In addition to funding from the AfDB, the project is poised to benefit from public investment from the Mauritanian and Malian governments and respective national power utility companies – Société Mauritanienne d’Electricité and Energie du Mali.