Burkina Faso - Desert to Power” Initiative – Yeleen Solar Plant Development and National Power System Reinforcement Project

The Yeleen Solar Plants Development and National Power System Reinforcement Project is an investment operation aiming to deploy solar power plants and reinforce power grid. It is part of the “Desert to Energy” Initiative in Burkina Faso. By deploying solar plants and expanding power grids, the Yeleen Project addresses the issue of continuous availability of energy and the poor electricity access of most people in Burkina Faso, especially those residing in peri-urban and rural areas, where over 70% of the country’s total population is concentrated. It will thus make it possible to: (i) improve the availability of electrical energy in Burkina Faso households (21% of the total population) and public and private structures already connected to the power grid; and (ii) enable 30,000 new households, or about 200,000 inhabitants making up nearly 1% of the total population of the country3 to have access to electricity. By facilitating the electricity access of low-income peri-urban and rural households, the project contribute to making the country’s economic and social development more inclusive, in line with the Bank’s 2013-2022 Ten-Year Strategy, adopted in 2012, with the dual objective of inclusive growth and transition towards green growth in Regional Member Countries (RMC). The total cost is estimated at EUR 136.69 million with the Bank contributing EUR 48.82 million (36%). The project implementation is estimated to span a period of five years from 2020 to 2024.