Walo battery to support Senegal’s state grid

The Walo energy storage and photovoltaic project is described by Africa REN as the first major storage project in Africa, and is located in Bokhol, a rural community in northwestern Senegal. Africa REN launched the project, which includes a social impact program involving the construction of small solar power plants for local pumping stations and extending the drinking water network to serve the surrounding villages.   

The project features a 10 MW / 20 MWh battery storage with lithium-ion batteries and 16 MW of solar energy using monocrystalline modules, a single-axis tracker system, and string inverters. The offtake is a 20-year take-or pay PPP with Senelec. The project has been commissioned this year, 2024, while construction is expected to take 10 months.

The estimated investment for the infrastructure is US $43M, which is being provided by the Dutch development bank FMO and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a company of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG).

Africa REN aims to have three mini solar power stations built to supply pumping stations dedicated to farmers and provide the municipality of Bokhol, as well as providing a commercial vehicle for use in the area. Africa Ren states that it will assist the commune in its electrification process, provide an annual support to the communities in terms of medicines, school supplies, and building social infrastructure as well as promoting the hiring of local workers.

According to Africa REN, the involvement of the local community in the Walo storage and PV project is reinforced by actions already carried out within the Senergy 2 project, located in the immediate vicinity of Walo Storage.

The Senergy 2 photovoltaic plant, covers 50 hectares and has 77,000 modules and is connected to the national grid. The plant was commissioned and connected to the Senelec grid in 2016 by underground transmission lines connecting to an existing MV/HV transformer situated less than 75 m from the site. This was the first ever solar photovoltaic project in Senegal and one of the largest in West Africa, providing 160000 people with energy. The plant was built in eight months by Omexom (Vinci Energies), which also oversees operations and maintenance. GreenWish Africa REN provided funding for this facility.

Africa REN says the Walo battery storage project addresses an “urgent need to stabilize the grid, due to the high share of renewable production in the energy mix.”

Africa REN, described as a consortium that brings together local and foreign funders, has been supported by the Seed Capital Assistance Facility (SCAF) since 2020, an initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNIP). The company develops, finances and operates sustainable infrastructure to increase access to electricity and essential services for people in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa REN says it aims to develop 500 million euros in assets by 2030 across renewable energy, public lighting, and potable water production sectors.