IVORY COAST – The state-owned company Côte d’Ivoire Energies (CI-Energies) is launching a call for tenders for the construction (EPC) of the20 MW Kossou floating solar power plant.
Côte d’Ivoire Energies has obtained finance from the French Development Agency (AFD) to implement the project.
The floating solar PV system will be constructed on the reservoir of the 174MW Kossou hydroelectric plant, located in the central Ivory Coast.
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 the construction of the associated transmission and connection network.
Additionally, the selected company will maintain the floating solar power plant.
The Côte d’Ivoire government is looking to implement various renewable energy programs with the support of international development finance institutions and private investors.
The Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energies (MPEER) earlier launched a tender for the construction of two solar plants with a combined capacity of 60 MW in Laboa and Touba, in the north-eastern 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 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 Ivorian government is planning to meet increasing energy demand by adding around 150 MW per year through IPPs, according to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
This can be achieved by taking advantage of high solar irradiation in the African continent, with over 2000 kWh/m2 on average in the reservoirs analyzed across all regions.
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.
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