Renewables
Senegal launches West Africa's first solar storage facility
Senegal has inaugurated West Africa's pioneering solar photovoltaic facility integrated with battery storage to bolster grid stability.
Key points
- The Walo Storage project combines 16MW of solar power with a 10MW/20MWh battery system.
- Total investment reached €40 million, backed by equity and debt from international development financiers.
- The installation is projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 26,600 tons annually.
What happened
Senegal has expanded its power infrastructure with the commissioning of the Walo Storage facility, noted by ESI Africa as the first installation in West Africa to combine solar photovoltaic generation with lithium-ion battery storage. The project is designed to enhance grid stability while integrating renewable energy generation into the national network.
The installation features 16 megawatts of solar capacity paired with a 10 megawatt, 20 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system. Technical components include monocrystalline modules, single-axis trackers, and string inverters. According to reporting, the facility will prevent 26,600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, an environmental impact comparable to removing more than 18,000 passenger cars from the road.
Financing and development
Capital expenditure for the initiative totalled €40 million, roughly equivalent to $46 million. Funding was structured through a combination of shareholder equity and debt financing. Key financial backers include the Metier Sustainable Capital International Fund II and the Dutch development bank FMO, alongside the Emerging Africa and Asia Infrastructure Fund, which operates under the Private Infrastructure Development Group.
Why it matters
This deployment marks a significant technical milestone for West Africa's power sector, where integrating variable renewable energy sources often strains conventional grid infrastructure. Battery storage provides a critical buffer, smoothing out intermittency and maintaining frequency regulation.
According to World Bank figures, Senegal recorded a renewable share of electricity output of 13.3 percent in 2021, alongside an electricity use per person of 419.3 kilowatt-hours in 2024. While the country achieved an electricity access rate of 82.9 percent in 2024, scaling reliable generation remains vital for economic development.
For investors and policymakers across sub-Saharan Africa, the successful financial closure and execution of the Walo Storage project demonstrates a viable template for combining commercial equity with development finance institutions to de-risk high-impact energy transition assets. As regional electricity demand grows, scaling similar hybrid storage solutions will be essential to accommodate higher penetrations of clean energy without compromising system reliability.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Renewables are the fastest-growing part of the world’s energy system. The COP28 goal is to triple capacity by 2030, and solar mini-grids are the fastest route to power for millions of people without electricity.
13.3% of electricity in Senegal was renewable in 2021Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
