GreenWish Partners (GreenWish) will launch during the last quarter of 2015 the construction works of Senergy II, a photovoltaic plant of a 20MW capacity located in Bokhol, at the border of Senegal and Mauritania. The investment fund specialised in renewable energy infrastructure, who presented in Dakar on 1^st July its construction and financing plan to the National Electricity Company of Senegal (Senelec), appointed the French group Vinci for the construction and operation of the plant and the African Bank of Development (AfDB) to arrange the debt.

The plant will be linked to the national electric network by mid-2016 for an investment of approximately €25 million. According to the estimates of GreenWish, the project will give 200,000 people access to electricity and will contribute to the objective of multiplying by two the installed electric production capacity of Senegal (725 MW according to the Ministry of Energy). It will also enable the country to decrease its dependency on fossil fuels and prevent the emission of 25,000 metric tons of CO₂ per year.

“The electricity produced will be at the same time environmentally friendly and competitive with a kilowatt-hour price lower by approximately 50% compared to the current energy mix. On the contract term of 20 years, this represents savings of about €90 million for the state”, explained Charlotte Aubin Kalaidjian, president for GreenWish. Senergy II is predicted to generate over 150 jobs in the construction phase. The operation and maintenance will be undertaken by Vinci Énergies. The local communities will also benefit from the establishment of a rural electrification program.