By Victoria Onehi
Savannah Energy plc, the British independent energy company has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy of the Republic of Chad for the development of up to 500 megawatts (“MW”) of renewable energy.
A statement by Savannah Energy disclosed that the projects will supply electricity to the Doba Oil Project and the towns of Moundou and Doba in Southern Chad, and the capital city, N’Djamena
A signing ceremony which was held in N’Djamena was attended by the Minister of Petroleum and Energy of the Republic of Chad His Excellency Djerassem le Bemadjiel,.Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Republic of Chad, Mark Matthews,Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy N’Djamena Chad Sarah Wilson, and Chief Executive Officer of Savannah Energyn Andrew Knott, .
The first Project Savannah has agreed to develop comprises an up to 300 MW photovoltaic solar farm and battery energy storage system (“BESS”) located in Komé, Southern Chad (the “Centrale Solaire de Komé”). This Project is being developed to provide clean, reliable power generation for the Doba Oil Project and the surrounding towns of Moundou and Doba. In doing so, it will displace existing hydrocarbon power supply resulting in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and provide a supply of clean, reliable electricity on a potential 24/7 basis to the surrounding towns of Moundou and Doba (which currently only have intermittent power access).
The second project covered by the Agreement involves the development of solar and wind projects of up to 100 MW each to supply power to the country’s capital city, N’Djamen.
The Minister of Petroleum and Energy of the Republic of Chad His Excellency Djerassem le Bemadjiel said this at the event.
“We are delighted to work with Savannah on these two potentially transformational power projects for Chad. Our country is blessed with a significant renewable energy resource and we are excited that a leading British company such as Savannah is seeking to harness this resource to provide utility scale power to our country. I warmly welcome the projects and Savannah’s entry into the Chadian power sector. We are already engaged to provide all the support needed for implementing these projects and having the first power delivered to our population and our industries in line with the State plan for enhancing the power offering in our country.”
Similarly,Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Republic of Chad,His Excellency Mark Matthews,commented.
“I am delighted that a British company, Savannah Energy, is making such a substantial investment in renewable energy in Chad. Chad has plentiful resources of renewable energy which, through investments like this, can be harnessed to develop the economy and improve the lives of Chadians. This is a further example of UK commitment to Chad.”
Chief Executive Officer, Savannah Energy,Andrew Knott, commented:
“I am delighted to announce the Centrale Solaire de Komé and the Centrales d’Energie Renouvelable de N’Djamena projects. Both of these represent a major vote of confidence in Chad by Savannah and have the potential to contribute to a transformative change in the country’s GDP over the course of the coming years, as well as bringing the significant quality of life benefits associated with access to regularised power to the regions in which the Projects are situated. The Projects represent one of the largest ever foreign direct investments in Chad and are believed to the largest ever by a British company.
I would like to thank General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Transitional Military Council, President of the Republic of Chad and Head of State; His Excellency Djerassem Le Bemadjiel, Minister of Petroleum and Energy of the Republic of Chad, and the wider Chadian government for the enthusiastic support we have received in relation to making these projects happen. We look forward to working with the Government and our developmental finance partners over the course of the coming years as we move through the feasibility and construction phases of the projects to our intended first power dates in 2025/26.
Savannah expects to fund the Projects from a combination of its own internally generated cashflows and project specific debt.
