CHAD: Egypt's Elsewedy wins the contract for the D'jermaya solar power plant

By Jean Marie Takouleu - Published on May 31 2023 / Modified on May 31 2023

Good news for Elsewedy Electric T&D. The subsidiary of the Egyptian company Elsewedy Electric has just signed the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the D’jermaya solar power plant being developed 30 km from the capital N’Djamena. Under the terms of the agreement signed with the project's developer, D’jermaya CDEN Energy (DCE), Elsewedy will also be responsible for testing and commissioning the 36 MWp solar photovoltaic plant.

Elsewedy's contract also covers the construction of an 8 MWh electricity storage system, as well as a 33 kV overhead transmission line and two 25 MVA (90 kV) power transformers for interconnection with the grid from the Lamadji substation. "This pioneering project will make it possible to achieve the Chadian government's national development objectives: to liberalise the energy sector, mobilise private investment and promote the development of renewable energies in Chad," says Elsewedy Electric T&D.

The Cairo-based company was chosen in a tender launched in 2020. All the conditions are now in place to start work on the project, as DCE has already raised the necessary funding for the construction of its solar power plant. This involves €36.6 million pledged by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), and Proparco, the private sector financing arm of the French Development Agency (AFD).

D’jermaya CDEN Energy is owned by InfraCo Africa, Smart Energies and Neo Themis. The special-purpose company has already signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Chad's National Electricity Company (SNE). The 36 MWp plant is only the first phase of a 60 MWp project planned for a 100-hectare site.

Jean Marie Takouleu