Kemo Cham, AfricaNewsreporter in Dakar, Senegal
The government of Senegal has made a giant step with the signing of a multimillion dollar project that aims at resolving chronic energy problems for the people residing in a section of the capital, Dakar.
Senegal’s Minister of International Cooperation, Karim Wade and the Chinese ambassador to the West African nation, Yuan Xing Gong, signed a financing agreement of a project as part of extension of electricity network in the capital.
The 35 billion CFA Franc project is earmarked for the area of Guédiawaye, a suburb of Dakar. According to the Minister of Energy, the project also entails the construction of some 475 substations, unwinding of 354 km of underground cable, 30 KV and 276 km of low voltage cable network, which will be fitted with a geographic information system.
Commercially, indicated the Energy Minister, Samuel Sarr, the project involves the setting up 100,000 prepayment meters, which will ensure security of over 60,000 customers by the establishment of a remote meter reading system.
The Senegalese Energy minister also announced that Senegal will soon install an assembly plant of lights LBC in the suburbs of Dakar to cover ‘‘the needs of our country and respond to the request of countries in the sub-region, while providing opportunities for youth employment.’’
Electricity cuts have been a frequent occurrence in the country, and it has impacted greatly on businesses across the country. Sometimes it gets so frequent that people grow unbearable. Repeated promises by the government have seen no improvement.
Nuclear energy pursuit
Senegal is well on course to setting up a nuclear power plant with the help of its former colonial master, France, which could potentially resolve the country’s ailing energy problem.
AFP reported that Energy Minister Samuel Sarr at a conference hosted by France which aimed at promoting civilian use of atomic energy, said that France and Senegal were working together and that a plant should be online by 2020.
"It is with this timetable in mind that the production of nuclear generated electricity is expected and our country is already getting ready for this," AFP quoted Mr Sarr. He said that the reactor project would be preceded by a major infrastructure development plan between 2012 and 2020.
According to the report, if successful, the project could make Senegal Africa's second nuclear energy producing country after South Africa.
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