Active Development AidData Chinese Aid

Chinese Government pledges concessional loan funds for Construction of 330kV Power Transmission Lines connecting Nigeria, Niger, and Benin

Funder	Unspecified Chinese Government Institution
Recipient Organization	Government of Niger
Country	Africa, regional
Start Date	Jan 01, 2017
End Date	Jun 27, 2030
Duration	4,925 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`58364`

Grant Description

Chinese Government pledges concessional loan funds for Construction of 330kV Power Transmission Lines connecting Nigeria, Niger, and Benin In 2017, the Chinese government pledged the use of unspecified preferential loan funding for construction of two 330 kV power transmission lines: (1) from Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria to Niamey, Niger, and (2) from Zabori, Niger to Malanville, Benin.

These transmission lines form part of the West Africa North Core Interconnection Project, which connects the power markets of Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Benin/Togo.

However, by the end of 2018, Chinese official financiers no longer appear to have been included in the group of financiers for the project.

Financiers that have formally committed funds include the French Development Agency, the African Development Bank, the European Union, the World Bank, and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

📋 Staff Comments

It is possible that this project was originally going to be funded via the 1 billion USD concessional loan captured via Project ID#31049, which was cancelled prior to any disbursements, insofar as the 330 kv transmission lines were discussed in conjunction with the Koa Cement Plant in 2017 Chinese media sources. The Koa Cement plant was also originally to be funded via Project ID#31049, but was ultimately cancelled. However, because there is no evidence of a formal financial commitment in the case of the 330 kV power transmission lines, project status has been set to Pipeline: Pledge.
The following sources indicate the project received Chinese official financing: the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2017, China.org in February 2017, Xinhua in July 2018, and, most importantly, the African Development Bank Group's Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Summary (ESIA) published in August 2017. However, recent (2020 - 2023) media reports, and most importantly, a March 2018 document and the 2020 Annual Report from the West African Power Pool both list project financiers, none of which are Chinese official financiers.

📚 Sources & References

Niger : démarrage effectif des travaux de construction d'un troisième pont à Niamey, don de la Chine
Niger : réalisation prochaine d'importants projets financés par la Chine
Niger: upcoming major projects funded by China, 330 kV Nigeria-Niger-Benin/Togo-Burkina Interconnection Project
Multinational - 330 KV West African Power Pool (WAPP) North Core Project Nigeria-Niger-Benin-Burkina Faso
BILAN DES 5 ANS DE MISE EN OEUVRE DU PROGRAMME DE RENAISSANCE
PROJET D’APPUI A L’EXPANSION DE L’ACCES A L’ELECTRICITE AU NIGER – FINANCEMENT ADDITIONNEL (NELACEP II) CADRE DE GESTION ENVIRONNEMENTALE ET SOCIALE (CGES) RAPPORT FINAL
Recueil 'Objectif Afrique' Burkina Faso - Niger 3ème trimestre 2018
Projet d’interconnexion 330 kV Nigéria-Niger-Bénin/Togo-Burkina Mise en place d’une Unité de Gestion du Projet (UGP) RECRUTEMENT DU DIRECTEUR DE L’UGP
La BAD finance le projet d’interconnexion électrique Nigeria-Niger-Bénin/Togo-Burkina Faso
West African Power Pool 2020 Annual Report, 330 KV WAPP NORTH CORE PROJECT NIGERIA - NIGER - BURKINA FASO - BENIN\TOGO UPDATE LINE ROUTE AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDY
Coopération : Bientôt une ligne d’interconnexion électrique ouest africaine
New 330 kV line under construction between Niger
Benin
Nigeria and Burkina Faso Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.