Largest solar system in Niger

Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum has inaugurated the Gorou Banda solar power plant, the largest photovoltaic solar power plant in Niger. The plant is equipped with 55,776 solar panels installed on a 27-hectare site located only 12km from the capital Niamey.

The plant is equipped with 55,776 solar panels installed on a 27-hectare site located only 12km from the capital Niamey. The plant will begin operating on August 25, 2023, which is when it is anticipated to be connected to Niger's national electricity grid.

Solar energy is well-suited for use in Niamey and Zinder, located at lower latitudes, as they show less variability in solar radiation throughout the year. Niger has a long history of solar energy use, which began in the mid-1960s with the establishment of the Centre National d'Énergie Solaire (National Solar Energy Centre; CNES).

FIND IT! Mahaman Moustapha Barké, Niger's Minister of Energy, has announced the commissioning of a 30 MWp photovoltaic solar power plant. The infrastructure, located around ten kilometres from the capital Niamey, was built under the aegis of Nigerien Electricity Company (NIGELEC) with a view to improving the city's electricity supply.

In an announcement made on national television on Sunday 26 November 2023, Niger's Minister of Energy, Mahaman Moustapha Barké, said that the commissioning of the Gourou Banda solar power plant would reduce the load shedding that the country had been experiencing for more than three months.

This transformative project, funded by the World Bank through the International Development Association (IDA), will enable Niger to better balance its energy mix, which is currently largely dominated by thermal energy. This initiative is particularly crucial for a country that frequently faces climatic shocks.