Linklaters acted for the State of Senegal and the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, on the implementation of the Scaling Solar initiative in Senegal.

Following an international tender offer launched by the Commission de Régulation du Secteur de l’Electricité (CRSE) which resulted in one of the lowest tariffs in Africa, the winning consortium formed by ENGIE and MERIDIAM has signed 25-year power purchase agreements with Société Nationale d’Electricité du Sénégal (SENELEC) for the construction and operation of an approximately 25 MW capacity PV power plant in Touba and an approximately 35 MW capacity PV power plant in Kahone.

Developed by the World Bank Group, Scaling Solar is an open, competitive and transparent process aiming at facilitating the rapid development of large-scale privately financed solar power plant projects.

Linklaters has been involved in the Scaling Solar initiative since its inception and has worked closely with the IFC-led working group to prepare the standard documentation package for the Scaling Solar initiative.

The Linklaters team for this major transaction was led by Projects partners Bertrand Andriani and Paul Lignières, managing associate Justin C. Faye and associate Clémence Graffan.

Linklaters has recently led on some of the most significant infrastructure and energy projects across Africa, including the US$5bn financing of the US$40bn Coral LNG project, the largest ever project financing and advising the lenders on Africa’s largest ever infrastructure financing with the cross border US$5bn Nacala rail and port project.