The two Sandiara sites: cold storage and processing on solar alone
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Sandiara industrial zone, Senegal |
| Site A | 21 kW of solar, 22 m³ cold room (one 40-foot insulated container), about 15 kWh a day. Kiosk next door. Opened in 2026 |
| Site B | 35 kW of solar, 60 m³ of cold storage and freezing (three containers under a pitched roof). Processing unit next door |
| Power | Both sites run on solar panels and batteries only. No grid connection, designed to run 24 hours a day |
| Operation | Local subsidiary TUMIQUI JAPON SASU |
Background
In Senegal, an estimated 50,000 tonnes of mangoes are lost every year. The fruit ripens all at once and there is nowhere to keep it cold. SUCRECUBE Japon built two cold storage sites in the Sandiara industrial zone, powered by solar panels and batteries only. Construction drew on a pilot programme of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Instead of running a power line, the sites make their own electricity. This choice means the same site can be built where there is no grid.
What was built
Site A is a cold storage site made of one 40-foot insulated container under a solar roof. The 22 m³ cold room is kept cold on about 15 kWh a day, thanks to heavy insulation and a Daikin inverter refrigeration unit. The kiosk next door sells cold drinks, charges phones, and prints and copies documents.
Site B has three containers under a pitched roof, for cold storage, freezing and processing. Under a pilot programme of Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the company processes mangoes into purée there with the women’s group GIE DIAMI SANDIARA and keeps it frozen. The solar cold container pilot is supported by a grant from the MOL Blue Ocean Fund (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines).
Result
Both sites are designed to run 24 hours a day on solar panels and batteries only. The mango products are being promoted in Japan and France, and sample shipments to Japan have begun. The kiosk’s first customer was a secondary school student who came in for a cold drink on the way home. A facility that only keeps things cold becomes an empty box when the project ends. For the site to last, it has to be used every day.
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