APA – Dakar (Senegal) – This approach could revolutionise the continent’s energy landscape by developing advanced storage solutions through collaboration and innovation, say its backers.
By Abdourahmane Diallo
The Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Consortium is a multi-stakeholder partnership initiative of the Global Leadership Council, launched in Dubai on December 2, 2023.
Its members pledge to participate in efforts to achieve 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy storage by the end of 2024. This, in turn, will provide a roadmap for the eventual storage of 400 GW of renewable energy by 2030.
Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria and Togo have officially expressed interest in joining the consortium, according to an African Development Bank (AfDB) statement to APA on Monday.
These countries are expected to receive support from the BESS Consortium’s resource partners, which include the AfDB, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, French Development Agency (AFD), Africa50 and Masdar.
Resource partners will help prepare projects, improve the regulatory environment and unlock private and public investment, the statement said.
“Malawi is committed to a renewable energy pathway for a sustainable future – and it’s projects like the BESS consortium that will make our low-carbon path a reality. We need more projects like this,” Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera was quoted as saying in response to the announcement.
Mauritania’s Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Energy, Nany Ould Chrougha, expressed his satisfaction at his country becoming a member of the consortium. According to him, the need for battery storage is crucial for the country, which is already 40 percent dependent on energy and is set to become increasingly so, particularly on renewable solar and wind power.
“The African Development Bank is proud to be at the forefront of this transformative journey, leveraging strategic partnerships and financial commitments to drive progress. As we move forward, let’s stay true to our commitment to a cleaner, greener and more prosperous Africa, powered by the limitless potential of renewable energy and the resilience of the African spirit. Together, we can light and power Africa for generations to come,” said President Akinwumi Adesina.
Adesina, also quoted in the release, highlighted the synergies between the BESS consortium and the Bank’s flagship Desert to Power initiative.
“Without sufficient storage capacity, countries will not be able to add renewable energy to their grids at the scale needed to reduce carbon emissions and create economic opportunity. The BESS Consortium is an example of the kind of bold, large-scale action needed to remove the barriers that prevent so many people and communities from participating in the climate transformation that is underway,” said Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation and Co-Chair of the Global Leadership Council.
ARD/te/lb/as/APA