Burkina Faso: electricity for 500,000 people supplied by the Zano solar power plant

Qair Group has been based in Montpellier since it was set up in 2013. It initially developed renewable energy projects in France (600 MW developed then transferred) before diversifying internationally in Europe (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Iceland), Brazil, Vietnam, Mauritius, and in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2021, Qair is operating plants with a totally capacity of 500 MW and owns 700 MW of projects in the financing or construction phase.

The 24 MWc Zano power plant will operate with solar panels equipped with trackers. It will be connected to the national grid and will sell the electricity generated to the National Electricity Company of Burkina Faso (SONABEL). It will be built by the Egyptian constructor El Sewedy Electric and Qair will handle the operation and maintenance. It will be one of the first independent power producers in this landlocked Sahel country where fossil-fuel-based power generation is expensive with high emissions and the hydropower potential is limited.

The main expected impacts of the project are as follows: 

• Improved access to an electricity service for 296,000 people over the next 5 years. The solar power plant will generate 47 GWh of electricity a year and will directly contribute to the country’s low-carbon trajectory and to the Government’s objective of increasing the share of renewable energies in the energy mix (27% of the energy mix excluding imports by 2030). 
• 36,400 direct, indirect and induced local jobs will be supported over the next 5 years, with an additional 220 temporary jobs during the construction phase
• 30,400 tCO2 eq of greenhouse gas emissions avoided per year.

The project will thereby contribute to the achievement of SDG 7 (Clean energy), SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) and SDG 13 (Climate action).