How would you summarise 2016 for the energy sector in
Senegal?
2016 was the year of expansion for
Senegal's energy sector. Indeed: in February, the Tobène
electrical plant was started at Taiba Ndiaye, 90 kilometres
north-east of Dakar; in June, the Cap des Biches power plant at
Rufisque (20 km from Dakar) was officially re-opened; and finally
in October, the Bokhol solar power plant with a capacity of 20 MW,
the largest solar power plant in West Africa, was inaugurated.
Have the recent changes in oil prices had an impact on
the sector in Senegal?
The fall of oil prices from 2014 to
2016, combined with the increase of energy capacities because of
the new solar power plants, had a positive impact in Senegal. It is
materialised by a 10% reduction in the price of electricity that
reflected in the new tariff schedule approved by the Electricity
Sector Regulation Commission (ESRC) on February 16, 2017 by
Decision No 2017–04.
