The Djermaya solar project is entering a new phase. Following the signing of a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the national electricity company (SNE) of Chad, the project leaders are launching a call for tenders to recruit a company to carry out an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the first phase of the 32 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant.
The project developers have set 31st July 2020 as the deadline for submission of bids from companies interested in constructing the first phase of the Djermaya solar power plant. The installation will be located 30 km from the Chadian capital N’Djamena. The overall objective of the project is the construction of a plant with a production capacity of 60 MWp with 200,000 solar panels to be installed on an area of 100 hectares. The project also includes the construction of an 18 km long 33 kV double circuit overhead transmission line and two 33/90 kV transformers at the Lamadji substation.
The project is being developed by a consortium formed by Aldwich International, Smart Energies and Infraco Africa, a finance company owned by Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). The three companies have signed a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Chadian Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Finance and the Renewable Energy Agency (Ader).
Preliminary geotechnical studies for this project have already been carried out by the companies Terrasol, Setec Hydratec and Lagemot. As far as financing is concerned, the project has already received a loan of USD 18 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) through the African Development Fund (ADF), its concessional window. The European Union is also supporting the construction of the solar power plant with a €6.35 million loan. The funds will be injected through the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund (UAITF).
Jean Marie Takouleu