Senegal’s Minister of Water and Health, Serigne Mbaye Thiam, announced that as a result of an $81.5 million rural electrification project funded by the Senegal River Development Organization (OMVS), 200 Mali, Mauritania, and Senegalese communities now have access to electricity. OMVS Director-General Tamsir Ndiaye stated that the organization plans to “do everything it can to increase the maximum output allocated at the level of OMVS member states in order to increase supply and make these countries not only have sufficient Electricity, and electricity is cheaper.” The project is connected to the 300-kilometer Manantali hydropower plant located in Mana, the capital of Mali.

In addition to the Félou, Gouina, and Manantali dams in Senegal, OMVS also plans to add solar energy to its energy structure. Ndiaye said that the introduction of solar energy will increase the power capacity of the Senegal River and save water. The Senegal River will be used for the restoration of agriculture and ecosystems. OMVS is an intergovernmental development organization that brings together Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, and Guinea to jointly manage the watershed of the Senegal River. The organization has two goals, namely to increase electricity production and to save Senegal River water for other purposes, such as agriculture, population drinking water, and ecosystem restoration.

source: africaoilandpower.com