Ivory Coast announces another 66 MW solar plant

The government of Ivory Coast has announced that a 66 MW solar power plant will be constructed in Korhogo, a city in the northern Poro Region.

The announcement was given by the Minister of Communication and Media, Sidi Tiemoko Toure at the end of a Council of Ministers meeting held last week.

With an expected annual production capacity of 118 GWh, the Korhogo solar power station aims to increase the contribution of renewables in the energy mix in order to meet the growing demand for electricity, the government also said in its statement.

The cost of the project is estimated at CFA 47.24 billion (around $81.5 million), of which CFA 44.416 billion will cover the works of the plant and CFA 2.828 billion for grid-connection.

In early October, the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Ivory Coast announced that financing of a 37.5 MW PV project in Boundiali Department, in the northwestern part of the Ivory Coast, had been finalized.

Including these two projects, there are currently three initiatives to develop large-scale PV in the African country. The third project a 25 MW facility planned for the town of Benguébougou, also in the Korhogo region. The project, which secured government approval in May, and is scheduled for completion by the end of this year, is expected to require an investment of CFA 23 billion (US$40.9 million).

The Ivorian government is planning to meet increasing energy demand by adding around 150 MW per year through IPPs, according to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).