Overview of the project

By adopting on February 5, 2020, the new Law on the Electricity Code in Benin, the Beninese Parliament has just allowed the Government of Benin to act on the liberalization of the provision of electrical services. The local elected officials of Zou, through the CCZ, seize the opportunity of the implementation of this law, to take action to improve access to electrical energy in its 226 localities outside the conventional network. To do this, the CCZ has opted for the provision of electrical energy by renewable sources such as solar photovoltaic. In 2019, CCZ conducted a technical and financial feasibility study for the installation of 36 solar micropower plants in 36 rural localities among the 226 located off-grid. It has obtained the support of the ENGIE Group for the realization and management in PPP mode of the 1st of the 36 pilot solar micro-power stations, currently under construction in the locality of Dohouè, in the Commune of Zogbodomey. In addition to the 36 localities included in the ENGIE Group’s investment program, the CCZ has identified the existence of 09 health centres located in 09 of the 190 other off-grid localities in Zou. In the SNAT implementation strategy, all these 09 localities are classified as rural development poles. To operationalize the objective of the Regional Sustainable Energy Access Facility, financed by WAEMU, focused on the SDGs, which provides that by 2025, 100% of the peri-urban and urban populations will have access to electrical services, the CCZ is taking its responsibilities towards households and women living in the 09 rural poles and attending the 09 health centres, by opting for the realization of 09 photovoltaic solar power plants to ensure access to electrical energy for the benefit of these 09 health centres.
Knowing that the State has already realized through the Beninese Agency of Rural Electrification Energy (ABERME), 06 photovoltaic solar micro power plants and that several inhabitants of the 09 Communes of Zou have also opted for access to electricity for their households through individual kits, considering the great program of setting up 36 micro power plants with the ENGIE Group, the CCZ has anticipated in the PAAEDC, the advent of the problem of maintenance of the equipment, which has already been put in place or is still to be put in service. Also, in a strategy of sustainability and for the combined management of its competencies related to the sectors of water, sanitation, environment, decentralized cooperation, transport and energy, the CCZ has opted for the creation of the CCZ Climate House (MCZ) to accompany the implementation of the Action Plan for Sustainable Energy Access and Climate (PAAEDC). Its mission will be to mobilize territorial actors around the major issues of the fight against climate change to support behavioural change and involve the territory’s actors in an energy transition process. The Climate House will be an inter-municipal service in charge of the climate and will include the research laboratory on the energy transition and the deciphering of public policies, climate data and operational achievements; the climate documentation centre for researchers and academics, premises serving as offices for the administration and finally, a conference room to host major meetings, training, workshops, reflection on climate change. The Climate House will develop innovative climate projects in the framework of the Paris Climate Agreement. The Climate House will also provide training for local elected officials, communal executives and young men and women from the Zou territory to ensure the routine maintenance of small equipment. Heavy maintenance remains the domain of ENGIE Groupe, which is a long-term private partner of the CCZ.