The periurban area of Zagtouli, 20 km West of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, will be the home of one of the largest Renewable Energy power plants in the region. A solar PV farm is expected to be built in the site. Siengui Apollinaire Ki, General Director of the Burkina Faso Power Utility (SONABEL), has said that the project will start in the second semester of 2013. The 1st phase is expected to be ready by 2015, and the 2nd phase by 2017.
The power capacity, though initially intented to be of 20 MW, might be upgraded to 30 MW on a 2nd phase. The total investment will range from 42 billion CFA Franc (20 MW) to 58 billion CFA Franc (30 MW). The project will be financed by the European Union, through its European Development Fund, the French Development Agency and the European Investment Bank.
The power plant will span 35 ha, where 96,000 solar panels will be assembled into 40 generators units of 500 kW each, producing roughly 33 GWh/year of electricity once completed. The solar park will be connected to the grid operated by SONABEL, the electricity being injected at the Zagtouli 225 kV Bobo-Dioulasso-Ouagadougou interconnector.
The Government of Burkina Faso and SONABEL hope to reduce the country reliance on fossil fuels, which is important for a country that does not produce oil.
Burkina Faso has a mean GHI of 6.12 kWh/m2/d and a mean DNI of 2121.37 kWh/m2/y. Further information about the solar resource of Burkina Faso is available in the country profile; GHI and DNI maps may also be consulted.
