Two solar photovoltaic power plants are set to be built in Ivory Coast. They will be located near the cities of Touba in the northwest and Laboa in the northeast of the country. These two projects were at the heart of a dialogue that culminated in an agreement between Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly of Ivory Coast and the heads of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private sector financing subsidiary.
The agreement was signed on the margins of the recent Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, D.C., USA. “The agreement covers IFC’s assistance with the feasibility study, financing and advisory assistance. The two plants will have a capacity of 30MWp each. Discussions with the IFC also focused on developing a strategy for targeted intervention for a more competitive private sector in the coming years,” said the Prime Minister.
Also Read:Madagascar connects mini hybrid solar power plant near Ilakaka
Other power projects
Information from IFC revealed that the two solar projects will be developed by independent power producers (IPPs) as part of public-private partnerships (PPPs). The construction of these power plants will enable the country to integrate solar energy into its electricity mix.
Several solar projects are currently under development in this West African country. One example is the Boundiali solar photovoltaic power plant in northern Ivory Coast. The Boundiali solar plant will have a capacity of 37.5MWp. The construction of this power plant will require an investment of US $44m.
The government will finance the implementation of the project with loans from partners such as the European Union and the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the German development agency. The two power plants will also help the African country supply its population with clean, affordable and reliable energy as opposed to the fossil fuel generated energy that tends to pollute the environment and largely uneconomical.
