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Clifford Chance said in an announcement on its website on 4 November 2026 that it had advised IFC and Proparco in structuring finance for four photovoltaic plants in Benin, together generating 62 MWp of capacity. The firm said the scheme, developed by AXIAN Energy Green together with Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations du Bénin (CDC Bénin), is Benin’s first solar project developed under the independent power producer (IPP) model.
Key points
- The four sites, at Natitingou, Djougou, Parakou and Bohicon, will each sell power to Société Béninoise de Production d’Électricité (SBPE) under individual supply contracts.
- Clifford Chance said the plants should bring power to around 383,000 people and lift the country’s electricity output by 17% across the period from 2028 to 2035.
- The firm said this would help Benin toward a target of sourcing 30% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
- Funding blends capital from IFC and Proparco with concessional money that IFC drew from the Clean Technology Fund, structured as IFC A loans alongside senior Clean Technology Fund financing and a Proparco contribution.
- IFC and Proparco are each putting in roughly €14 million, a deal Clifford Chance described as Proparco’s first energy-sector financing in Benin.
Energy mix
The announcement said more than 80% of Benin’s existing power generation capacity relies on thermal sources, and that the new solar plants are intended to cut dependence on fossil fuels and imported electricity while bolstering the country’s energy self-sufficiency.
The team
Clifford Chance said the matter was led from Paris by partner Corinne Duvnjak, with counsel Thomas Chneiweiss and associate Nour Fakhoury working on project development and financing. Senior counsel Fabien Jacquemard and associate Santiago Ramirez handled hedging matters. From London, partner Edward Bretherton and associates Ben Stewart and Abi Kumaranathan advised on construction elements of the transaction.