Multilateral development finance institution, the African Development Bank (AfDB), has mobilized $289.5 million towards two electricity infrastructure initiatives in Mauritania.
Two financing agreements were signed by the institution, supporting the development of the 225 Kv Mauritania-Mali electricity interconnection and solar power plant project (PIEMM) and the Rural Areas Sustainable Development for Productive and Energy Investments (RIMDIR).
The PIEMM project comprises the construction of solar power facilities and a 1,373-km, 600 MW high-voltage power line connecting Mauritania and Mali. The initiative is financed by a $272 million loan from the African Development Fund – the concessional window of the AfDB – and a $1.5 million grant from the United Nations-led Green Climate Fund.
Meanwhile, RIMDIR is funded by a $16 million grant from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa – a multi-donor Special Fund managed by the AfDB. The project aims to improve access to electricity for 40 localities in south-eastern Mauritania through the development of hybrid mini-solar projects.