FILE PHOTO: Benin to set up electricity production company.
Photo credit: Afrik 21

Benin has set up an electricity production company, called Beninese Electricity Production Company (SBPE), to achieve its dream of energy autonomy, the Council of Ministers indicated on Friday in Cotonou.

The SBPE is distinct from the Beninese Electricity Energy Company (SBEE) whose essential mission will be refocused on distribution, the Council said in a press release.

The SBPE will be a public capital company responsible for the production and sale of electricity through the exploitation of its own assets, purchase of solar energy produced by private operators and the sale of electricity to SBEE and the development of renewable energies.

The new company will have state production assets currently in operation or under construction, such as the Maria-Gléta 2 thermal power plant, commissioned in August 2019, the Maria-Gléta 3 thermal power plant, whose construction process is underway, and the photovoltaic solar power plant built as part of the DEFISSOL project.