AEE Power EPC faces scrutiny over Senegal electrification funds

Controversy is mounting in Senegal regarding a rural electrification contract between the Agence sénégalaise d'électrification rurale (Aser) and the Spanish firm AEE Power EPC. The project aims to electrify 1,700 villages, but significant questions have arisen concerning the management of advanced funds totaling 37 billion CFA francs.

Deputy Thierno Alassane Sall has publicly challenged the explanations provided by José Ángel González Tausz, Chairman of AEE Power EPC. Sall criticized the company's claim that funds were distributed across various accounts without specific project allocations, labeling the justification as “enfumage puéril” (childish smoke and mirrors). The deputy also noted that 26 months after the advance payments, fewer than 40 villages have been electrified, far below the intended progress.

In response to the scrutiny, González Tausz traveled to Dakar to address allegations of fund misappropriation, the suspension of the contract by the public procurement regulatory authority (Arcop), and the termination of a partnership with a former Senegalese partner. While the Spanish company asserts decades of experience in African electrical infrastructure, the project remains under intense investigation regarding the destination of the disbursed capital and a reported request for an additional 55 billion CFA francs.