Chad has launched an auction calling for a consulting engineer to control and supervise the build of a 30 MW (AC) solar power plant – with a 60 MWh storage system, 90 kV line and 90/33 kV substation – near the capital city of N’Djamena, according to tender documents.

The Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy is overseeing the maximum three-year contract, with energy supplied to the state-owned utility Societe National d'Electricite, the documents state. Firms must have at least 20 years of experience to apply.

The deadline for applications is Dec. 7, 2023.

The Chad government said the World Bank Group provided project funding through its Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project (RESPITE). The $311 million initiative, launched in Jan. 2023, aims to increase grid connection across a range of central African countries gripped by energy poverty.

The World Bank through RESPITE plans to install 106 MW of solar power projects with battery and storage facilities, as well as 41 MW of hydropower, in countries such as Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates Chad had 1 MW of solar installed capacity at the end of last year, according to the most recent statistics.