PFO Energies, a subsidiary of the Ivorian construction and engineering group PFO Africa has commissioned the 52-MWp Ferke solar farm in Ferkessedougou, northern Cote d’Ivoire. The facility is the largest solar power plant in the country implemented by a local IPP.
The Ferke solar plant sits on a 70-hectare (173 acres) site and features over 73,300 solar panels, and is forecast to generate about 90 GWh of electricity annually.
The project was developed by the Ivorian entity following the conclusion of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concession agreement with the government of Cote d’Ivoire in 2024. The facility was built under a design, financing, construction, operation, and transfer framework.
Built with an investment of CFA41 billion ($71.4 million), the Ferke solar facility will support Côte d’Ivoire in advancing its energy independence goals and meeting its national target of generating 45% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
The financing was secured through a combination of private capital and backing from institutional partners, including the West African Development Bank (BOAD) and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF).
Improving energy supply in Cote d’Ivoire
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Téné Birahima Ouattara said the project will help lower energy costs, accelerate rural electrification, create jobs, strengthen the country’s energy security, and support sustainable and inclusive development.
The Ivorian government stated that it remains committed to increasing the share of renewable energy and decarbonising the country’s power generation as part of its COP 26 nationally determined contributions pledge.
“Several other solar power stations will be built in the coming years in Korhogo, Katiola, Tengrela, Bouna, Kong, Bondoukou, Dabakala, Touba and in several other locations across the country. Our ambition is to increase Cote d’Ivoire’s installed solar capacity to over 1,300 megawatts by 2035,” said Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, Cote d’Ivoire’s Minister for Mines, Oil and Energy.
