• Côte d’Ivoire launches 50 MW Kong solar plant project
• Plant to power 380,000 homes, cut 55,000 tons of CO₂
• Part of 12-project plan to reach 45% renewables by 2030
  

Côte d’Ivoire is moving ahead with major solar initiatives, breaking ground on the Kong photovoltaic power plant after commissioning the Boundiali facility and launching work on the Ferké Solar and Amea Gontougo sites.

The Kong project, valued at 37 billion XOF (over $65 million), will include 88,000 solar panels with an installed capacity of 50 MW. Once operational, it is expected to supply electricity to about 380,000 households.

Built on an 80-hectare site in the Tchologo region of northern Côte d’Ivoire, the plant is scheduled to come online in the first quarter of 2027. According to the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, it will prevent the release of roughly 55,000 tons of CO₂ each year and generate more than 400 direct and indirect jobs.

“This project reflects Côte d’Ivoire’s strategy to accelerate its energy transition, diversify its power mix, and expand renewable energy in line with President Alassane Ouattara’s vision,” said Energy Minister Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly. “The goal is to raise renewables to 45% of the energy mix by 2030.”

The project is developed by Kong Solaire, a joint venture between InfraCo Africa, a member of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), and Africavia. It follows a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model, allowing the consortium to finance and operate the plant before transferring ownership to the Ivorian state after a 25-year concession period, according to a July 2024 statement from the Ministry of Finance and Budget.

The Kong facility is one of 12 solar projects planned by 2030, expected to deliver a combined capacity of 1,044 MW. In an October report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) identified Côte d’Ivoire as one of the few Sub-Saharan African countries that have maintained steady progress in electrification despite global stagnation—a finding that supports Abidjan’s strategy based on institutional stability and private-sector participation to accelerate the energy transition and expand electricity access.

Abdoullah Diop