Renewable energy company Africa REN has started construction of the Walo Storage project – a lithium-ion battery energy storage system situated in northern Senegal.
The $34.8 million project is funded by Dutch development bank FMO and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) through investment management company Ninety One and is expected to start operations in 12 months.
“This landmark funding by FMO and EAIF for the Walo Storage project reaffirms the commitment of our company to the region,” stated Africa REN CEO Gilles Parmentier, adding, “This funding also paves the way for an innovative, resilient energy infrastructure to support Senegal’s 2030 Universal Access goal and reduce CO2 emissions significantly.”
The project is being fully developed by Africa REN while construction of the storage unit will be carried out by engineering company Eiffage Energie Systèmes RMT.
The lithium-ion battery energy storage unit is the first battery-storage project in West Africa dedicated to frequency regulation and is designed to stabilize Senegal’s grid and reduce blackouts. Furthermore, the project will include the construction of small solar photovoltaic plants, injecting 16 MW of solar energy into the grid while mitigating approximately 26,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
