The long-awaited Sakai solar power plant is now officially supplying energy in the Central African Republic (CAR), just 10 km outside of the capital city Bangui. The facility has an installed capacity of 15 MW and is the country’s first major solar plant.
This project gives the country a huge power boost as only 14.3% of the population has access to modern electricity, according to the World Bank, with some rural areas not even at a 0.5% electrification rate. The country is blessed with many low-cost energy resources, including solar, but needs to attract further investments to begin developing them.
The project was undertaken by China Energy Construction Group Tianjin Electric Power Construction Co., and took three years to complete, bringing jobs to the local community in the process.