Via Clingendael – the Netherlands Institute of International Relations – a report on a recently completed BRI project in Africa:

The Gouina Hydroelectric Plant in Mali has begun commercial operations, according to China’s state media. The plant is a BRI project, built and largely financed by China. Construction started in 2013 and was delayed several times due to political unrest in Mali and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The plant is located at the Gounia Falls along the Senegal River. The project is overseen by the Senegal River Basin Development Authority (OMVS), a multilateral organization that jointly manages the Senegal River. Its members are Guinea, Mali, Mauretania, and Senegal.

The Gouina Hydroelectric Plant is constructed by PowerChina, a state-owned engineering and construction firm that participates in many BRI-related projects in Asia and Africa. The plant uses three axial-flow hydro-generator units with a combined capacity of 140 MW and a planned annual production of 620 million kWh. The plant’s dam is 19 meters high, 1.317 meters long, with a reservoir storage of 136 million cubic meters.

The total cost for the plant and power lines is about 370-420 million (estimates differ), mainly financed by the Exim Bank of China, with additional funding by the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund. The plant will provide power to Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal.

China has wide-ranging relations with Mali. Back in 2015, countries signed an agreement for the construction of a $1.5 billion railway. There are also projects in roads, steel, and iron ore. China has long been part of the MINUSMA U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, but recently abstained from a vote to extend the mission, alongside Russia, in response to a resolution condemning Mali’s hiring of mercenaries from Russia´s Wagner Group. In January, China and Russia blocked U.N. sanctions on Mali. Finally, China has come under fire for failing to stop illegal trade in rosewood from Mali.