In Niger, residents of the capital, Niamey, have become accustomed to daily power cuts. Electricity rationing has been a recurring problem since the coup d'état of July 2023.
But the situation now seems to be moving towards a temporary solution, with the launch of the Niger-Algeria solidarity power plant.
The facility was officially inaugurated by Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine and his Algerian counterpart, Sifi Ghrieb. It was entirely financed and built by Algeria in just 70 days thanks to an air freight operation.
The region where Niger's capital is located is the country's largest electricity consumer, with an estimated demand of 200 MW.
By relying on an energy mix including uranium, coal and solar energy, Niger has put in place projects aimed at becoming a regional energy power.
The plans to build a 2,000 megawatt nuclear power plant and a 200 megawatt coal-fired power plant are at an advanced stage.
