Country snapshot · West Africa
Mali
Solar added each year
Ember estimates of all solar (utility-scale, distributed and off-grid), MW. 2026 is Ember’s full-year estimate.
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| Year | MW | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 23.2 | Ember estimate |
| 2024 | 45.2 | Ember estimate |
| 2025 | 102.7 | Ember estimate |
| 2026E | 85.2 | Ember estimate, full year |
0.5% of Africa’s estimated 2026 solar additions (85.2 of 17,449.4 MW).1
Who has electricity
Share of people with access to electricity, 2024: rural and urban.
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| Area | Access | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rural | 31.4% | 2024 |
| Urban | 88.6% | 2024 |
| National | 49.5% | 2024 |
World Bank WDI, 2024.2
How reliable is the grid for business?
Firms experiencing electrical outages (2024 survey), compared with Sub-Saharan Africa and the world.3,4N5
87.1% (2024 survey) · Sub-Saharan Africa 72.4% · World 47.5% (2025)
The rules for small-scale generationN1,N6
Export rules: Partial
- Regulator
- CREE
- Main utility
- EDM (state-owned)
Export rulesNo net metering. Ordinance 00-019 (2000) lets self-producers sell surplus if they consume over 50% of their output.5,6Medium confidenceShow detail
No net-metering, net-billing or feed-in framework found. Ordonnance 00-019 (15 Mar 2000, in force per RISE library) lets an autoproducer sell to a concessionnaire or permissionnaire if it consumes more than 50% of its own annual output. Where there is no public service, it may sell to nearby users if it consumes at least 70% itself.
How exports are creditedNone found; standard contracts and renewable tariffs missing.5,6Medium confidenceShow detail
None found. AEP says standard contracts and renewable tariffs are missing.
Size limits and licensingThermal self-generation: free to 50 kW; declaration to 250 kW; authorisation above.5,6High confidenceShow detail
Thermal: free up to 50 kW; declaration above 50 kW up to 250 kW; authorisation above 250 kW for autoproduction. Above 250 kW, thermal public production requires a concession.
Mini-grid rulesA mini-grid law is reported as voted; name and year not given.5,6Medium confidenceShow detail
AEP says a mini-grid and off-grid law "has been voted". No name or year is given. AEP also notes that tariff regime and codes are absent.
Market access beyond the utilitySingle-buyer model; no third-party access decree found.5,6Medium confidenceShow detail
Single-buyer model: the concessionnaire acts as "Acheteur Central" (Central Buyer). After a 10-year moratorium, a decree may move the sector to third-party access. No such decree was found. AEP says there is no transmission grid code yet.
Aggregation / VPP rulesNone foundShow detail
None found
“None found” means we could not locate a rule in public sources reviewed to 10 October 2026, not that one cannot exist.
Recent developments
Dated developments, 2024–2026.
The full report
This is a snapshot. The full story is in Africa’s Invisible Grid.
The full analysis, with 17 exhibits on the boom, the data gap, the economics and the four building blocks, is in Africa’s Invisible Grid.
