The Togolese Agency for Electrification and Renewable Energies (AT2ER) has declared 129 rural localities that will be electrified in the first phase of the programme for electrification using solar mini-grids. These localities are spread across five regions of the country, which are the Maritime region, Kara, the Savanes, the Central region, and the Plateaux region.
The solar projects will be set up under public-private partnerships. A total of 317 localities will have mini-solar grids with a total capacity of 11,000 kW. The other 188 localities are planened to be electrified in later stages of the project. This will involve a distribution network of 480 km which will cover about 45,000 consumers. The solar mini-grid electrification project in Togo is being financially supported by the West African Development Bank (BOAD).
In October 2019, AT2ER issued a pre-qualification notice for the development, co-financing, construction, operation and maintenance of mini-solar grids; as well as distribution networks, the distribution and marketing of electricity to customers, and the transfer at the end of the licence. The bidder will contribute up to 30 per cent in the finance for installation.
The government of this West African country wants to increase the current rate of electrification in rural areas to 50 per cent by 2030, from 8 per cent at present. West Africa is a region with unreliable electricity supply and a need for more developed electricity supply systems. Currently, only 50 per cent of the population in West Africa has access to electricity. Those who do have access to electricity pay among the highest prices in the World (more than double those of consumers in East Africa). In addition, due to operational deficiencies, electricity services are unreliable, with an average of 44 hours of outages per month.
