Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricité (CIE), a utility in the Ivory Coast, will soon open its first solar plant in Boundiali. This was made known by the head of CIE, who did not disclose information regarding the launch date.
The 37.5MW installation will cost €40 million ($42.6 million) and be supported by a 10 MW storage system from Saft. Additionnally, the 37.5 MW plant in Boundiali, in the country’s northern region, will supply CIE with electricity.
“After having experimented with fossil fuels and hydroelectricity, [Ivory Coast], which is rich in renewable energy potential, is about to commission its first solar power plant. In order to diversify its energy mix as much as possible,” said Noumory Sidibé, the director general of CIE.
Financing for the first solar plant in Boundiali
Through the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the KfW contributed €27 million toward the €40 million project. However, the Ivory Coastian government contributed the remaining €9.7 million, with the help of the European Union.
Saft, a unit of France’s TotalEnergies, was chosen in May to build the solar project’s 10 MW storage system. It will install six of its Intensium Max High Energy containers with lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, according to Saft, the energy storage system will offer capacity firming and PV smoothing services to the solar plant.
The Group of 20 leading economies countries, led by Germany, announced the “Compact with Africa” program in March 2017. The solar plant in Boundiali, however, is a component of this program. The program aims to encourage private investment in Africa’s development of renewable energy sources.
Ivory Coast had 13 MW of total solar capacity in 2021, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
