Senegal’s Electricity Regulatory Commission (CRSE) has issued Request for Proposals (RFPs) for 100MW of solar projects to be built in three regions.

The tender will be structured through the World Bank’s ‘Scaling Solar’ programme and projects are due to be located at Touba in the region of Diourbel, at Kahone in the Kaolack region, or at Niakhar in the Fatick region.

There were 28 applications for the oriignal competitive tender process, announced on 24 August 2016. Of these, 13 bidders were pre-qualified to receive the RFP and submit bids for the project. The next deadline for proposals is 5 February 2018.

PPAs will be signed with Senegal’s national utility Senelec. Production licenses will be issued by the Minister of Energy.

Scaling Solar uses competitive tenders to acclerate development of large-scale solar projects funded by the private sector. It also offers a range of advisory services, contracts, financing solutions, guarantees and insurance.

The government of Senegal is working with the World Bank Group to develop up to 200MW of solar under the programme. Just over half the population of Senegal currently has access to electricity, according to the Bank's data.

Also under Scaling Solar this month, state-run utility Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) issued a request for qualification (RfQ) for two solar PV projects each with a capacity of 125MWac.

Similarly, Madagascar’s Ministry of Water, Energy and Hydrocarbons (MEEH) issued an RfQ for 25MWac of solar near the capital Antananarivo.