20 MW solar plant to be installed in Guinea-Bissau

China’s Sinohydro Corporation has been awarded the tender to build a photovoltaic solar plant in Gardete, in Guinea-Bissau, with an installed capacity of 20 megawatts.

The contract was signed with Société Africaine des Biocarburants et des Energies Renouvelables (SABER)/African Biofuel and Renewable Energy Company (ABREC), from which the government of Guinea-Bissau in March 2019 ordered the tender documents to be drawn up, the launch of the tender and selection of competitors. Six eligible bids were received in an international tender that closed in May last year.

The project, which is financed by the West African Development Bank, in the form of a US$42.9 million loan, as well as the plant in Gardete, located 8 kilometres from the capital Bissau, also includes two mini-solar power plants of 1 megawatt each in Gabu and in Canchungo.

Covered by the programme for the Exploration of Renewable Energy Sources (Prover) of Guinea-Bissau, the construction of the Gardete plant, where the power produced will be injected into the national grid, includes 30 kilo-volt transmission lines and the Bor sub-station. Work is expected to take 16 months.