By: Kemo Kanyi
The President of The Gambia, Mr. Adama Barrow, has described the commissioning of a solar energy plant in the western Gambian village of Jambur as a notable event, marking the beginning of the West African country’s transition to renewable energy.
In February last year, the Gambia government joined forces with the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union (EU), and the World Bank (WB) to fund the construction of the Gambia’s first-ever solar energy plant under the Gambia Renewable Energy Project also known as Gambia Electricity Restoration and Modernization Project as the world trends towards clean energy.
The goal of the project is to address the electricity needs of the Gambian population and it is comprised of, among others, a solar photovoltaic (P.V.) plant with a total installed capacity of 23 Mega Watts (M.W.), including an 8 Mega Watts Hour (MWh) battery energy storage system. The project also has transmission and distribution restoration, modernization, and national grid expansion component. The third component focuses on institutional support for sector turnaround while the final component is on-grid and off-grid P.V./battery systems installation, operations, and maintenance for 1100 schools and health centers.
“I am happy to state that it is the first project of its kind in the history of the nation. Gladly too, it has come at a time when the whole world is promoting investment in renewable energy, particularly through solar energy projects,” the President said on Thursday as he commissioned the 23 Mega-Watt Jambur Solar Plant.
“A little over one year. We assembled here to lay the foundation stone for this ambitious project. Today, we have gladfullyreturned to commission the plant for it to begin delivering clean energy to the national grid. This achievement would not be possible without the collaboration of all the partners who executed the project diligently and in a timely manner,” the Gambian leader acknowledged.
According to Mr. Barrow, the plant has been designed to significantly reduce Gambia’s reliance on fossil fuels for power generation.
“In the same vein, the project is to accelerate the pace towards generating 50% of the nation’s power supply from renewable energy sources by 2030,” he outlined.
President Barrow affirmed his government’s commitment to the international treaty of the global energy transition to a greening energy landscape.
“This is our target and the message is clear. As a responsible member of the international community, The Gambia is committed to the global energy transition. The project clearly demonstrates the country’s commitment to reducing [its] carbon footprint and greening our energy landscapes,” he stated.
He expressed the hope that the solar plant will serve as a clean energy source and a major vehicle for climate change mitigation.
“The solar plant will contribute to the realization of the Gambia’s nationally determined contributions, considering the country has a vast potential to tap solar energy. This solar plant is part of an aggressive campaign to install more and bigger solar power plants. Our driving force is the ambition to achieve the nation’s sustainable energy policy goals,” the President underlined, adding that his government is working with partners to implement over 100 megawatts of regional solar park through an independent project.
“The government is working with partners to implement a 150 megawatts regional solar park. We plan to launch the tender for the first 50 megawatts in the second quarter of this year for implementation through an Independent Power Producer (IPP) project,” the President revealed.
“The government gratefully acknowledges the World Bank, the European Union, and the European Investment Bank for this project. I thank them on behalf of the entire nation,” stated the Gambian leader.
The governor of the West Coast Region Ousman Bojang and Jambur Alkalo Haruna Bojang both expressed delight at the historic inauguration of the climate-friendly energy generation plant in their area.
