Photovoltaic solar panels installed in Cote d Ivoire

The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire is planning to build 12 photovoltaic solar plants with a combined capacity of 678 MW in different parts of the country by 2030. Likewise, the government plans to reach 1,686 MW by 2040.

The Ivory Coast's Ministry of Mines, Oil, and Energy has unveiled plans to build 12 solar plants with a total capacity of 678 MW. Image: Markus Spiske, Unsplash Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, the Ivory Coast's Minister of Mines, Oil and Energy, has announced plans to install 678 MW of solar capacity by 2030 and 1,686 MW by 2040.

In Boundiali in the north of Côte d'Ivoire, the country's first solar power plant has now been inaugurated by Ivorian Prime Minister Beugré Mambé and German Parliamentary State Secretary Bärbel Kofler. The power plant has already been providing up to 37 megawatts of power since June 2023.

The solar power plant is then expected to be the largest in West Africa. The further expansion of solar energy in Côte d'Ivoire will primarily be realised by private investors. The successful project in Boundiali demonstrates to them that large solar projects are technically and financially feasible in similar countries.

In the northern region of the Côte d'Ivoire, the first phase of a solar power facility has been officially opened. The Boundiali solar power plant's financing was initially revealed in 2018, and details of its commissioning were made public in December 2022.

The clean electricity generated in this way can supply 35,000 households, benefiting around 150,000 people. The new plant will save 35,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year - an important contribution to climate protection. The solar power plant is regarded as a model project for the expansion of solar energy in Côte d'Ivoire.