Côte-d’Ivoire Energies tenders for 20 MWp floating solar plant

Ivorian state-owned power company, Côte d’Ivoire Energies (CI-Energies), has launched a tender for the construction and operation of a pilot floating solar power plant near the Kossou hydroelectric development. The company obtained finance from the French Development Agency (AFD) to implement the project.

The floating solar PV system will have a power generation capacity of 20 megawatts, and will be floating on the reservoir of the 174MW Kossou hydroelectric plant. The facility is one of a series of planned utility-scale floating solar projects by the Côte d’Ivoire government.  

The call for expressions of interest to execute the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the project is open until March 29, 2022. The winning bidder will also be responsible for construction of the associated transmission and connection network.

Côte d’Ivoire to diversify energy mix

The Côte d’Ivoire government is looking to implement various renewable energy programmes with the support of international development finance institutions and private investors. Supported by the World Bank’s Scaling Solar program, Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energies (MPEER) late last year launched a tender for the construction of two solar plants with a combined capacity of 60 MW in Laboa and Touba, in the northeastern part of the country.  

The renewable energy projects are set to help increase the West African country’s power generation capacity and diversify its energy mix. The country’s installed power generation capacity of about 2,230 megawatts (MW) comes mostly from fossil fuel sources like oil and natural gas.

Côte d’Ivoire has about 13 MW of installed solar PV generation capacity as of 2020 according to estimates by the International Renewable Energy Agency. The country targets to have an electrification rate of 99% by 2035, and produce 42% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by the same year.

Link to the tender here.