The President of the Republic, Mohamed Bazoum, this Wednesday, December 28, 2022 in Zinder, inaugurated the new Zinder diesel power plant at a total cost of 14.4 billion FCFA with a power of 22 megawatts.
This electricity unit built by the Mauritanian company ISTITHMAR West Africa (IWA) with its Turkish partner WINENERJI within the framework of a Public Private Partnership agreement of the BOOT type (built own operate and transfer) concluded with Niger, makes it possible to ensure a 125% coverage rate of the region’s demand in the event of unavailability of the Katsina-Gazaoua-Zinder interconnection line.
This coverage rate, we note, guarantees not only to improve the quality of service provided, but also to partially help the regions of Maradi and Tahoua.
In his speech delivered on this occasion, the Minister of State for Energy and Renewable Energies, Mr. Ibrahim Yacoubou wished to welcome the President of the Republic before recalling that the supply of electrical energy in quantity and in quality to all the populations of Niger, constitutes “one of the priorities of the program of rebirth act 3 of President Bazoum”.
Through the construction of this plant, Mr. Ibrahim Yacoubou indicated, will promise Damagaram to be “from now on safe from a general power cut of more than 30 minutes at most, and forever”.
“Our objective is to gradually create the same conditions throughout the national territory”, continued the Minister of State in charge of energy.
He also specified that his ministerial department is fully “committed to the implementation of the National Strategy for Access to Electricity (SNAE) which aims to increase the current electrification rate from 20% to 80% at the ‘Horizon 2035 with an intermediate objective of 40% in 2025’.
Mr. Ibrahim Yacoubou also announced that on this date, a vast portfolio of projects is being implemented throughout the national territory and which includes all segments (production, transport and distribution) through extensions and reinforcements. electrical networks of cities already electrified as well as rural electrification.
He cited, among other things, the construction of a 30 MW solar power plant in Gorou Banda (Niamey) which will be inaugurated, please God, on April 02, 2023, the ongoing construction of the 25 MW solar-diesel hybrid power plant in ‘Agadez, the inauguration of which will take place, if all goes well, before the end of 2023, as well as the work in progress for the hybridization of the power stations located in 15 of the large isolated localities of our country (Bilma, Dirkou, Iferouāne , Ingall, Timia, Fachi, Tillia, Telemcess, Ayawane, Banibangou, Dingazi, Tarbiat).
He also mentioned the construction of 20MW power plants in Maradi, 10MW hybrid in Diffa and 10MW in Dosso, the financing of which has just been granted by the AfDB, within the framework of the RANA project, as well as the construction works of the 330 kV Nigeria-Niger-Burkina-Benin interconnection, work on which started last March, with a deadline of 2024.
Continuing in the same direction, the Minister in charge of energy indicated that he had already inaugurated the first of these hybrid power plants, including that of Iférouane, on December 1, before adding that all the other plants are scheduled to be inaugurated between January and April 2023.
Also, he announced, procurement is underway for the hybridization of 11 other localities, including Tesker to name just one case.
According to Mr. Ibrahim Yacoubou, hybridization is a great operation that allows the localities concerned to switch from a 12-hour electricity supply per day to a 24-hour service. It is combined everywhere with extensions of the distribution network to ensure a coverage rate of at least 75% of the locality.
Among these ongoing projects are also the extensions of the networks in all the localities already electrified and the important Rural Electrification component for which the work is in progress or the financing has been acquired for approximately 2000 localities at the national level.
For the Zinder region in particular, by the end of President Bazoum’s first term, the number of electrified localities will increase from 170 as of today to at least 500.
Finally, Mr. Ibrahim Yacoubou expressed sincere thanks, on behalf of the Government and the People of Niger, to the ISTITHMAR company, which is the first private company to have invested so heavily in the electricity sector in Niger, taking advantage of the reform of this sector having sanctioned the liberalization of the Production segment.
For his part, the CEO of the Mauritanian company ISTITHMAR West Africa, prime contractor for this plant, Mr. Moulaye EL Arbi, was delighted with the construction of this important infrastructure before thanking the Government of Niger for having entrusted them with the work on this plant after the construction of the 89 MGW Goudel (Niamey) plant.
Previously, the Governor of the Region and the President of the City Council of Zinder took turns to welcome the President of the Republic and his delegation before giving a brief history of the city of Zinder to their guests.
This ceremony took place in the presence of Ministers, National Deputies, the Sultan of Damagaram, the Ambassador of Mauritania to Niger, and several other personalities.
With ANP
