The German company Gauff Engineering is commissioning more than 60 solar-powered mini-grids in the Kolda region in southern Senegal. These installations, which will allow the productive use of electricity, were recently inaugurated in the presence of officials from the Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency (ASER).
Senegal relies on mini-grids for the electrification of its rural areas. And this policy is reflected in the field by concrete projects implemented in partnership with private companies such as Gauff Engineering. The company based in Nuremberg, Germany, has just commissioned 60 solar mini-grids in Kolda, a region located in Upper Casamance, in southern Senegal. At least five of these installations were inaugurated a few days ago in the districts of Velingara, Medina and Kolda, about a day’s drive from the capital Dakar.
Baba Diallo, the director general of the Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency (ASEER), who initiated the ASEER 300 project, was present. Until now, the villages benefiting from the project were not connected to an electrical network. “The sometimes very difficult accessibility of the connected communities illustrates the importance of the self-sufficient power supply that now works,” says Gauff.
Productive use of electricity
In addition to electrification, the recently commissioned facilities also enable the productive use of electricity. In concrete terms, the local population, consisting mainly of farmers, will receive equipment, including pumps for irrigation and machinery for the processing and transformation of agricultural products.
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The mini-grids in the Kolda region are in addition to the 44 installations that have already been handed over and put into operation in the Kaffrine region on the Gambian border. In the meantime, Gauff is preparing the commissioning of 80 other mini-grids in northern Senegal. As part of the ASER 300 project, the German company has signed an engineering, procurement and project management (EPPM) contract with Aser. As the project owner, Gauff will be responsible for the electrification of 300 villages in Senegal.
German financing
This will be done through the installation of mini-grids with capacities between 15 and 45 kWp equipped with electricity storage systems, and the installation of 25,000 poles to support 840 km of power lines. The ASER 300 project also aims to improve public lighting through the installation of 3,600 solar street lamps. With an overall cost of 120 million euros, this initiative of ASER is financed with the support of KfW Ipex-Bank, a subsidiary of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the German development agency. The project is also supported by the German federal government, which provides supplier credit coverage. For its part, the German insurer Euler Hermes is providing financial credit coverage.
Jean Marie Takouleu
