Niger Govt Launches Feasibility Study for 5,200 MW Coal Project to Boost Energy Sovereignty, Reduce Reliance on Nigeria

The Nigerien government has launched feasibility study activities for the Salkadamna coal complex, a 5,200 MW energy project in the Tahoua region. The initiative, led by the Ministry of Energy, aims to enhance the country’s energy sovereignty.

Minister of Energy Amadou Haoua chaired the meeting in Niamey, which included stakeholders such as the Niger Mines and Energy Company (CMEN), NIGELEC, AMPIPS, ARSE, and the Ministries of Mines and the Environment.

The project is being developed through a public-private partnership involving the Nigerien company WANDA GROUP and its Chinese and Indian partners, HEC and Kalpa-Taru.

Haoua stated that the government signed a memorandum of understanding with the WANDA-JIMEI group and its partners on September 3, 2024, which was amended on January 10, 2025.

Under the agreement, the group will finance and conduct all necessary technical, environmental, social, economic, and financial studies for the project.

The Salkadamna project, initially proposed in the 1980s and revived in 2014, seeks to develop coal reserves estimated at 69 million tonnes. It includes the construction of a thermal power plant, an open-pit mine, power transmission lines, and a coal briquette plant with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tonnes.

The project is expected to generate up to 3,000 jobs and reduce Niger’s reliance on energy imports, mainly from Nigeria.

It will be recalled that in response to the military coup in Niger on July 26, 2023, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, aligning with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), implemented sanctions that included cutting off electricity supplies to Niger.

This action led to power outages across Niger, a country that depends on Nigeria for approximately 70 per cent of its electricity.

The Salkadamna coal complex is expected to play a crucial role in addressing Niger’s energy deficit and reducing reliance on external power sources.

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