YAOUNDE, Cameroon (BG) – Under its Desert to Power initiative, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved €28 million in funding to construct solar power plants in Gassi and Lamadji, Chad.
According to a statement on Friday, this landmark project aims to boost energy access and transition the country to cleaner, renewable energy sources.
The financing package includes €20 million in direct support—comprising a loan and grant from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa and €8 million in financial guarantees equally provided by the African Development Fund and the Green Climate Fund.
The statement said that contributions from other Development Finance Institutions will bring the project’s total cost to an estimated €41 million.
Once completed, the solar plants are expected to generate 61 gigawatt-hours of clean, reliable, and affordable electricity annually, addressing Chad’s significant energy deficit.
The project will also include two 15-megawatt peak solar power plants, new substations, connection lines, and a 6-megawatt-hour battery system for energy storage.
Pioneering Renewable Energy in Chad
Kevin Kariuki, Vice President of AfDB’s Power, Energy, Climate, and Green Growth complex, called the project a landmark development.
“The Gassi and Lamadji solar project underscores Chad’s strong commitment to the transition to renewable energy under the Desert to Power Initiative, and the Bank’s commitment to supporting transformative, clean energy projects across the continent,” Kariuki said.
The project is set to increase Chad’s power supply by 20%, reducing reliance on expensive, polluting fuel-based power and cutting annual carbon dioxide emissions by 49,000 tons.
Economic and Social Benefits
The initiative is projected to create 200 construction jobs—prioritizing opportunities for women and youth—and 34 permanent roles once operational.
By reducing fuel subsidies and energy imports, the project is expected to strengthen Chad’s balance of payments while generating tax revenue for the national treasury.
Wale Shonibare, Director of AfDB’s Energy Financial Solutions, Policy, and Regulations department, highlighted its broader impact: “It demonstrates how strong partnerships and the Bank’s deployment of its suite of instruments and innovative solutions can advance the energy transition and foster sustainable economic development.”
Desert to Power initiative
Aligned with AfDB’s “Light Up and Power Africa” initiative and Chad’s Paris Agreement commitments, the project is expected to enhance energy access and improve the country’s climate resilience, setting a precedent for renewable energy development in the region.
The AfDB is the driving force behind one of the world’s most ambitious energy projects: the Desert to Power initiative aims to bring energy to one of the least developed and most marginal parts of the continent.
This transformative and bold effort aims to turn Africa’s vast, sun-drenched Sahel region – one of the most vulnerable regions in the world – into a powerhouse of solar energy, targeting 11 countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan.
By harnessing the region’s immense solar potential, Desert to Power seeks to generate 10 gigawatts of solar power by 2030, thereby facilitating access to electricity for 250 million people.
