The UAE’s AMEA Power has energised its 26.6MW photovoltaic solar plant at Zina in the Mouhoun province of Burkina Faso.

The facility, located 185km from the capital Ouagadougou, will supply electricity to more than 43,000 people under a 25-year power purchase agreement with Sonabel, the national utility company.

AMEA Power reached financial close on the scheme in May 2022. The financing was provided by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the IFC-Canada Climate Change Programme and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund.

According to the IFC, the total cost of the project is about €39.7 million (US$42.9 million), and the plant and 7.8km transmission line were built under an engineering procurement and construction contract by Powerchina Huadong Engineering Corporation (Powerchina). Sinohydro Corporation, also of China, is the operations and maintenance contractor.

The project company Zina Solaire is 99.9% owned by AMEA Power, with the government owning the remainder. AMEA Power took over the project from the original developer in 2020 after it was restructured following a deterioration in the country’s security situation.

Our 26.6MW Zina Solar PV Plant has been energized ⚡Another milestone has been achieved, as our 26.6MW Zina solar power plant in Burkina Faso has been energized. The solar plant is located in the village of Zina in the Mouhoun Province, and will provide power to more than 43,000 people while offsetting 13,200 tonnes of CO2 per year

This month, AMEA Power also broke ground on its 120MW Kairouan solar project in Tunisia.

The US$86 million scheme is being developed under a build-own-operate model and has again been financed by the IFC, along with the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

The plant is due to be commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2025 and will be AMEA Power’s first operational asset in the country.