Russia-Mali cooperate on solar power project

Russia and Mali are working together to build a solar plant that would cut Mali’s electricity deficit.

Only about 50% of Malians have access to electricity, with outages so commonplace since the coup which set the country at odds with ECOWAS.

Mali struggled to get steady fuel supply for its thermal stations, which disrupted electricity supply and hindered economic activity.

Malian Energy Minister Bintou Camara hopes the Russian solar plant would “greatly reduce the electricity shortage currently affecting our country.”

Grigory Nazarov, director of NovaWind, the Russian company in charge of the construction, said it is expected to increase Mali’s electricity production by 10%, the Malian national broadcaster reported.

The 200-megawatt solar station will cover 314 hectares in Sanankoroba, in southwestern Mali, close to the capital, Bamako. It is expected to be the largest in the region.

The plant would be ready in a year for a total cost of $217 million, Nazarov said.