Agoenie, north of Lom é, has its roofs scorching hot almost every day during the dry season. But for the villagers, this abundant light has not yet steadily turned into electricity - the vaccines that need to be refrigerated in the clinic, the light on which children do homework at night, still often have to wait. In mid September 2026, a bidding announcement issued from the capital brought this village into the spotlight.

The power station is located north of Lom é

The Togolese Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Agency has issued a tender announcement for a new solar power station to be built in Agoeniye, north of the capital Lom é. According to the bidding documents, the winning developer shall undertake the entire process of design, equipment supply, construction, and commissioning, and undertake a three-year operation and maintenance task after the power station is put into operation. At present, the planned installed capacity of the power station has not been announced. The Togolese government has received financial support from the French Development Agency to cover project costs.

This bidding will start from the pre qualification stage. Interested applicants can purchase the entire set of pre qualification documents, which costs approximately $177.32. Pre qualification applications must be submitted to the relevant authorities in a sealed envelope before September 15th.

The profound meaning of three-year operation and maintenance

Writing three years of operation and maintenance into the contract may seem like technical terms, but it is actually a microcosm of Togo's recent changes in bidding ideas. In the past, many aid oriented photovoltaic projects were installed and then left, but the equipment broke down without anyone repairing it, and eventually became idle and abandoned. Nowadays, requiring developers to be responsible for the output after operation is equivalent to tying the long-term reliability of the power station with the interests of the winning bidder.

This is particularly crucial for Togo. The total installed capacity of electricity in the country is limited, with an import dependence of about 60-70%. The cost of self generation is high, and any local power station that can stably output is adding points to national energy security.

From the village entrance to the main network

Prior to this bidding, Togo had just completed another round of opportunity applications in May to build solar microgrids for 27 rural areas across the country. The project is supported by funding from the Islamic Development Bank and is being implemented in two sections. The total installed solar capacity is 2325 kilowatts, with 4370 kilowatt hours of energy storage and distribution network spanning over 93 kilometers and 575 streetlights. It is part of the electrification plan for 317 regions across the country.

On one side is the microgrid scattered at the village entrance, and on the other is the ground power station connected to the main grid. Togo is simultaneously working on both lines. Official data shows that the country's electrification rate has increased from 52% in 2020 to 69% currently, but the electrification rate in some rural areas is still less than 10%, and there is still a hard nut to crack before achieving universal electricity by 2030.

According to the project database of the African Solar Industry Association, Togo has put into operation 654.7 megawatts of solar energy projects, most of which are unnamed industrial and commercial projects. The largest operational solar power project in the country is the Brita Solar Photovoltaic Power Station developed by Amea Power. The initial operational capacity was 50 megawatts, and it has since been expanded to a total capacity of 70 megawatts.keywords:New energy information network

A power station that has not yet announced its capacity, in this context, has significance beyond just adding a few megawatts of installed capacity. It is not only a comprehensive test of developers' funds, technology, and long-term operational capabilities, but also another bet for Togo to turn sunshine into electricity and then electricity into development opportunities.Editor/Yang Meiling