ABIDJAN — Ivory Coast inaugurated a first solar power plant on Wednesday, as part of the West African country’s drive to generate 45 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
The 37.5 megawatt (MW) plant in the northern town of Boundiali, population 40,000, is expected to improve the electricity supply to more than 430,000 households, with a focus on villages, the Ivorian Ministry of Energy says.
But it represents only a small part of Ivory Coast’s power production — two-thirds of which is currently provided by thermal energy and the remainder mainly by hydroelectric dams.
“I am delighted to see the completion of this structural project, which is fully in line with Ivory Coast’s energy transition objectives, which aim to have 45 percent renewable energy in the national energy mix by 2030,” Myriam Ferran, who heads the European Commission’s International Partnerships, said at the inauguration ceremony.
“Such an ambitious target clearly shows Ivory Coast government’s determination to invest more in the field of renewable energies,” Ferran added.
By 2022, 82 percent of the country had electricity coverage, up from 33 percent in 2011.
The Boundiali ceremony also launched a 75.6 million euro ($81.9 million) project to extend the solar plant, jointly financed by Germany, the European Union and Ivory Coast.
Since 2014, the share of renewable energy in Ivory Coast’s energy mix has increased by 53 percent from 604 MW to 925 MW, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
The nation’s current capacity is estimated at 2,500 MW, which could double by 2030, according to the the energy ministry.
Ivory Coast exports about 10 percent of its electricity to neighbouring Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Liberia, according to the Ministry of Energy. — AFP / pic TMR FILE