WAPP organizes a forum in the Gambia on Power Purchase Interest within the framework of the 150MWp Regional Solar Park Project

On October 11, 2022, a high-level meeting of representatives of the Ministries in charge of Energy, the Managing Directors of the national electricity companies of The Gambia River Basin Development Organization (OMVG) member countries and the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA ) was held in Banjul (The Gambia), under the high patronage of the Minister of Petroleum and Energy of The Gambia and the Secretary General of the West African Power Pool (WAPP).

This meeting follows a meeting of experts held in Banjul (The Gambia) on October 10, 2022, which brought together experts from the Ministries in charge of energy and utilities of The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Senegal, OMVG, ERERA (Observer) , WAPP , World Bank and the Consultants of the pre-investment studies of the Project.

The objective of the meeting of experts was to present the results of the feasibility study and the initial results of the structure of the WAPP Regional Solar Power Park Project in The Gambia and to discuss the interest in purchasing surplus electricity from the regional solar park.

The high-level meeting noted that:

- The Regional Solar Power Park Project in The Gambia is part of the list of the Priority Projects of the ECOWAS Master Plan for the Development of Regional Power Generation and Transmission Infrastructure 2019-2033 that was adopted by the Authority of Heads of State and Government through the Supplementary Act A/SA.4/12/18 of December 22, 2018;

- The pre-investment studies concluded that the implementation of the Regional Solar Power Park Project in The Gambia will be in two phases:

1. the first phase expected to be completed in 2024 will be exclusively for the supply of power to The Gambia;
2. the second phase expected to be completed in 2026 is likely to make surplus power available to the regional grid operated by OMVG;

- The surplus energy could therefore be exported to the OMVG member countries, namely Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal;

-EDG SA (Guinea), EAGB (Guinea-Bissau) and Senelec (Senegal) expressed their interest in purchasing the surplus energy produced by this Regional Solar Power Park Project;

- The Regional Electricity Market under implementation by the WAPP will facilitate electricity exchanges between the countries.

This meeting also took note of the recommendation of the experts' meeting held on October 10, 2022, on the intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding to be signed by the ministries in charge of energy of The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.

The meeting after examining the Memorandum noted that it reflects the willingness of the various Parties to collaborate for the speedy implementation of the WAPP Regional Solar Power Park Project in The Gambia.

Convinced of the importance of this Memorandum of Understanding in the further development of the Regional Solar Power Park Project in The Gambia, the meeting adopted it and requested the representatives of the Ministries in charge of energy of Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Senegal to present it to their respective Ministers for signature in accordance with the internal procedures of each country, after it was signed by the Minister of Petroleum and Energy of The Gambia.

The meeting mandated the WAPP Secretariat to follow up with the various representatives of the Ministries in charge of energy in the concerned countries for the speedy signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.

Click HERE to Download Final Communique

gambia_1.jpg

gambia_4.jpg