Energy Resources Senegal (ERS) has signed an agreement with South Africa-based investment firm Climate Fund Managers (CFM) for the co-development of a solar power plant in Niakhar, Senegal.

The project consists of a 30 MW photovoltaic power plant combined with a battery system with a capacity of 15 MW/45 MWh. According to the investor, this will be the first solar power infrastructure integrating storage in the country. “This first project with ERS will provide clean energy to over 150,000 people,” said Sebastian Surie, CFM’s regional director for Africa.

Under the terms of the agreement, ERS will be the infrastructure developer and will be responsible for the construction and operation of the $40 million plant. “After the commissioning of our first photovoltaic solar power plant in Senegal in 2018, this project confirms our ambition to become a key player in carbon-free energies on the continent,” says Moustapha Sène, CEO of ERS, who aims to set up 500 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2025.

Senegal’s installed capacity is currently largely thermal, fueled by fuel, explains the CFM in a press release. However, the country is one of the first in West Africa to pass a renewable energy law and is considered by CFM to be one of the pioneers in the sector.

According to the latest statistics from the International Renewable Energy Agency, Senegal had an installed PV capacity of 134 MW at the end of 2019. Most of this capacity comes from large scale PV, but several off-grid projects were also built in the country over the past years.