After Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger Extends Salkadamna Coal Project Invitation to Togo
Thursday, 14 August 2025 11:28 
(Togo First) - Niger is expanding its Salkadamna coal project to include Togo, after securing partnerships with Burkina Faso and Mali. On August 13, 2025, Niger’s Energy Minister Amadou Haoua presented the project to Togo’s authorities, including President of the Council Faure Gnassingbé in Lomé.
Haoua said the goal is to make Salkadamna a strategic pillar for energy sovereignty across West Africa. “We are on a sub-regional tour to invite friendly and brotherly countries to join us in a new dynamic involving a 5,200 MW modular electricity capacity project,” he said. This partnership aims to accelerate progress toward energy independence in the sub-region.
Togo welcomed the project as it pushes to achieve universal electricity access by 2030. Minister of Mines and Energy Resources Robert Eklo described Salkadamna as “both an integrated and integrating project.” He explained it combines coal mining, power generation, and energy export networks involving the Alliance of Sahel States, Togo, and Chad. Eklo also called the project “inclusive,” uniting multiple countries with everything essential included in one plan.
Launched originally in the 1980s and revived in 2014, the Salkadamna coal complex targets the exploitation of approximately 69 million tonnes of regional coal reserves. It will build a thermal power plant with a capacity exceeding 5,200 MW, an open-pit mine, high-voltage transmission lines, and a coal briquette factory producing 100,000 tonnes annually.
Niger plans to generate massive electricity from locally mined coal, supplying domestic demand and exporting surplus power to neighbors. By joining the initiative, Togo could significantly reduce its dependence on imported oil, which currently powers much of its thermal electricity generation.
At present, Togo relies heavily on diesel and imported fuel oil for electricity. Integrating coal power from the region offers a chance to diversify the energy mix and shield the country from volatile international fuel prices.
The project also promises to bolster Togo’s energy security amid geopolitical tensions and global energy market fluctuations. Salkadamna could stabilize electricity supplies for the entire region.
Minister Haoua said the project is well advanced in Niger, with a 600 MW pilot phase underway. However, it requires participation from other countries to scale up. The initiative involves Niger’s WANDA GROUP, alongside Chinese firm HEC and Indian company Kalpa-Taru, structured as a public-private partnership.
This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh
Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum
