Côte d'Ivoire: Kong Solaire
Championing the growth of renewables in Côte d’Ivoire
Challenge
Electrification rates in Côte d’Ivoire are among the region’s highest, at 71.1% of the population. The country’s installed power generation capacity is largely derived from gas-fired thermal power plants, with the remainder dominated by hydro power. The Government of Côte d’Ivoire is committed to diversifying the country’s energy mix, and increasing the role that renewables play, in order to reduce costs associated with importing natural gas, and to meet the country’s emissions targets under the Paris Agreement. With high levels of solar irradiation, particularly in the north of the country, Côte d’Ivoire has significant potential for harnessing solar power.
Solution
InfraCo Africa is working with Ivorian developer, Africa Via, to co-develop the 50MWp Kong Solaire IPP project near the town of Kong, in the northern region of Côte d’Ivoire. The plant will be fitted with efficient bifacial panels and tracking technology to maximise generation. Connected to a nearby transmission line and substation, power from the Kong Solaire plant will reach grid-connected domestic and business customers in Cote d’Ivoire and has the potential to benefit customers in Mali, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, through sub-regional interconnections.
The project is part of the country’s ambitious approach to energy independence while meeting national objectives (COP26) for sustainable development, aiming to achieve 45% renewable energy by 2030. The plant will represent an investment of c. 37 billion CFA francs (c. 56 million euros) and will produce c. 97 GWh of clean energy in its first year of operation, thus providing electricity to c. 238,000 people.
The project aligns with the priorities of the PIDG Strategy to expand its early-stage co-development portfolio in West Africa.
On 2 July 2024, Kong Solaire signed a joint 25-year Power Purchase Agreement and Concession Agreement with the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, the Ministry of Finance and Budget and Côte d’Ivoire Energies to develop the 50MWp plant under a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model.
Among the country’s first solar energy IPPs, Kong Solaire will demonstrate the viability of solar in the country’s energy mix and will negotiate documentation which can be replicated in the future, attracting private sector finance and expertise to further expand Côte d’Ivoire’s growing solar sector.
Being developed by InfraCo Africa and Africa Via
