The PRERA project, funded by the French Development Agency, aims to extend the electricity networks of the national electricity company SBEE in the urban commune of Abomey Calavi  (Cotonou agglomeration) and 81 villages in the Atlantic department.

As part of its mission to supervise works, IED supported SBEE and the consortium companies for the smooth running of operations, in compliance with deadlines, costs, technical and environmental specifications.

Since the end of July 2021, two new 63kV/15kV transformation substations in GIS (Gas Insulated Substation) technology are in operation in the municipality of Abomey Calavi. This technology, with many advantages, is new to Benin, and its introduction has been intensely supervised by IED specialists.  All active parts are isolated, which improves the safety of operators and the risk of defects in case of bad weather. In addition, this technology is adapted to the urban environment by its small footprint compared to AIS (Air Insulated Switchgear) technology.

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Three 63 kV underground links (630mm² aluminium section) connect these new substations to each other and to the existing Vedoko substation, in order to form a 63 kV loop. The loop has been fully commissioned since the end of August 2021.

This new infrastructure will enable the SBEE operator to:

  • Reduce the number and time of power outages
  • Improve the stability of electrical voltage
  • Decrease the rate of overall losses on the power grid

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The people of Benin will thus benefit from an improvement in electricity availability and quality, thanks to a better network reliability.