France to finance solar plant in Bolivia

LA PAZ – The French Development Agency (AFD) will finance with more than US$12.8 million for the construction of a solar power plant in the Bolivian department of Oruro, the Ministry of Planning and Development confirmed on Sunday.

To this end, the head of the Bolivian institution, Mariana Prado, signed the donation agreement in Paris with Rémy Rioux, the general director of the AFD,.

The budget, which will come from the Latin American Investment Facility (LAIF) of the European Union, will complement the resources already committed to the construction of the photovoltaic energy plant in western Bolivia.

In February 2016, Bolivian President Evo Morales announced the construction of the plant, which will cost 95 million dollars that will come from a loan from France, the donation from the European Community and a contribution from the Bolivian State.

Bolivia already has a solar plant in the northern region of Pando, bordering Brazil, which was built by the Spanish company Isotron and has a capacity to generate five megawatts.

The project in Oruro will meet 62 percent of the demand for electricity required by that department, which does not produce energy.