Publish Date : 21-Jun-2017
The African Sustainable Energy Fund (SEFA), hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB), approved a US $ 985,500 grant to improve bankability and achieve financial closure of an integrated project, including construction Two small hydropower plants, and transmission and distribution networks. This project will provide access to electricity to ten thousand homes in the towns of Butembo and Beni and in the surrounding area, in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. As the Province does not have an electricity grid, this off-grid / mini-network project, based on standard technologies, proposes to install 12 MW of power to meet the real electricity demand in the two-city region. Corroborate the expressions of interest of prospective customers.
The project satisfies all the priorities of a sustainable development policy: it will trigger the economic awakening of an entire region, currently isolated and deprived of electricity, and thereby reduce the high rate of unemployment; It will substitute a cleaner and sustainable source for diesel-powered generators whose exploitation is based on the import of expensive petroleum products; It will free women and children from time-consuming domestic chores, including the gathering of wood for cooking; And will reduce the risk of rape, since they will no longer be obliged to leave the agglomerations for these tasks.
"This project is highly innovative in that it breaks the isolation of the Region of Butembo and Beni, providing continuous and reliable access to electricity for homes and small and medium-sized enterprises," notes Ousseynou Nakoulima, Director of the ADB's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department. The SEFA Fund will enable the Project to collect reliable and complete information essential to the final design of the electricity generation, transmission and distribution components, with a view to financial closure. SEFA will focus its support on topographic and geotechnical studies, verification of hydrological data from two rivers, detailed engineering design, validation of EPC implementation studies, The entire EPC procurement process and the due diligence of the lenders. In addition, an additional grant from ACTC (African Climate Technology Center) will cover environmental and social impact assessment costs and legal services to validate concession contracts.
The Project is part of national poverty reduction strategies through increasing access of people to energy, decentralization of energy supply and liberalization of energy markets, As well as the African Development Infrastructure Program (PIDA) of NEPAD and the AU.
The Project is coherent with the ADB New Pact on Energy in Africa, which aims to achieve universal access to energy by connecting 200 million households to the continent by 2025. In This framework, the Bank is implementing an "Out-of-Network Revolution" to facilitate access to energy to 75 million households through off-grid and decentralized connections. In addition, the 2013-2022 Strategy calls for green infrastructure, private sector involvement, especially in regional projects, and support for fragile and / or divided states in their quest for economic and social development. The project is also aligned with the energy policy of the United Nations-endorsed "Energy for All" (SE4All) Action Plan to provide modern energy services.
About the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA)
The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) is a multilateral trust fund that promotes renewable energy and energy efficiency by supporting small and medium-sized private sector projects to encourage the transition to Growth and more inclusive. SEFA is funded by the governments of Denmark, the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy. SEFA is integrated into the African Development Bank.
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