The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) has floated a request for proposal (RfP) for the selection of owner’s engineer contract for a 32 MW solar power project in the African country of Chad.

Interested bidders can submit their bids by July 31, 2020, and the scheduled commercial operation date of the project has been set as January 2022.

The project is the first phase of the planned 60 MW Djermaya solar project in Chad. Back in 2018, a consortium, including InfraCo Africa and Smart Energies International, had come together to develop a 60 MW solar project in the country.

The scope of work includes the design, financing, engineering, and construction of the solar project. The project would also have a 4 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). It will be set up near the town of Djermaya in the Hadjer-Lamis region, about 30 km north from the capital city of N’Djamena.

The project will be gradually integrated into Chad’s national grid, and the project would have a 25-year PPA with the Société Nationale d’Electricité, Chad’s national utility company.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has been selected as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and operation and maintenance (O&M) contractor for the project. BHEL will build the Djermaya 32 MW project, as well as the BESS, the transmission line, and an extension of the Lamadji substation on a turnkey basis. The EPC and O&M contracts were signed on March 31, 2020, according to the press statement. BHEL would also provide the solar modules to be used in the project, and the nominal power of each module should be 320 W.

Djermaya solar project is supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB), which previously approved a senior debt financing of €18 million (~$20.65 million) and a partial risk guarantee.

In April this year, the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), which is managed by AfDB, approved a grant of $760,000 (₹57.61 million) to Empower New Energy. This grant will help develop at least eight small renewable energy projects in Africa. The projects will have a capacity ranging between 1-10 MW.