Niger Targets 430 Megawatts of Additional Power from Low Base

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Niger, a landlocked country in northwest Africa, has a population of more than 17 million. But only 7% of households have access to electricity, including 41% of urban households and 0.28% of rural households. About 80% of its 1.27 million square kilometers are in the Sahara Desert. Niger is ranked at the lowest levels on the United Nations Human Development Index (UNHDI).

However, since 2011, the country has seen its economic prospects grow as a potential major producer of uranium and oil. But with an installed power capacity of only 200 megawatts (MW) or so, 62% of which is imported from Nigeria, power outages occur almost daily.

New power projects are being scheduled. The 130-MW Kandadji hydropower project, financed by World Bank, is scheduled for completion in 2017.

Also, a 200-MW coal-fired plant could begin operations by the end of 2013. Work is due to start on another project, the $165 million, 100-MW Goroubanda diesel thermal project, which is due to be completed in 2015. This project is being financed by the West African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the government of Niger.

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