The Burkinabè government, through the Minister of Energy, Bachir Ismaël Ouédraogo and Independent Electricity Producers (PIE) signed an agreement for the supply of solar energy production of 155 megawatts, on Friday April 5, 2019 in Ouagadougou.

"It's a historic day," said the Minister of Energy, Bachir Ismaël Ouédraogo, after the signing of an agreement between the Burkinabè government and Independent Electricity Producers (PIE), which took place on Friday. April 5, 2019, in Ouagadougou.

This memorandum was signed with the companies Greenwich, Green Yellow, Naage, Quadran-Syscom-Soltech and Urban solar for the construction of six photovoltaic solar power plants, on the sidelines of the III edition of the Energy and Renewable Energy Week in Africa (SEERA).

These photovoltaic solar power plants must provide a solar energy production of 155 megawatts to the Burkinabe National Electricity Company (SONABEL).

In the agreement, it is stipulated, among other things, that the signatory companies of the memorandum are required to finalize the construction work of the solar power plants within “fairly short” deadlines, for the injection of the expected energy.

According to the Director of Legal Affairs and Litigation of the Ministry of Energy, Herman Nacambo, in these agreements, legal instruments have been drawn up to allow both parties to find their account in the contract and to ensure that these plants operate over a period of 25 years before being retroceded to the national electricity company.

Leader in solar energy

For Bachir Ismaël Ouédraogo, the State alone cannot provide enough energy to the population. Reason for which, a call was launched to the private companies.

Never mind, the Minister of Energy suggested that through this agreement, Burkina Faso has resolutely embarked on the path of energy transition by posing at the same time as a leader in terms of energy in the sub-region with price forecasts below 50 CFA francs per kilowatt hour.

“We hope this is the start of a fantastic long ride in solar energy to bring cheap energy to everyone,” he said. Through this partnership, in the opinion of the Minister of Energy, it is the law 014-2017/AN of April 20, 2017 on the general regulation of the energy sector which comes into force.

Indeed, article 25 of the said law indicates that “the installations for the production of electrical energy are carried out and operated by any natural or legal person under private or public law.

They are subject to the prior obtaining of a declaration, authorization or production license obtained from the regulatory authority for the energy sector”.

Because, according to projections, the Burkinabè government intends by 2020 to achieve a rate of 45% national access to energy, a rate of 19% for rural electrification and a 50% share of renewable energies. in the national energy park.

Furthermore, during the ceremony, the Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CEREC) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) initialed a memorandum of understanding with energy promoters, for a successful energy transition in the member countries of this organization.

For the country representative of the program of the global institute for green growth (Global green growth institute) in Burkina, Lamine Ouédraogo, this memorandum aims to support these countries for the mobilization of financing to be used to initiate an energy transition, a necessity. for the development of the sub-region.