Côte d’Ivoire shortlists developers for 200MW of solar backed by 66MWh of storage

Developers have been shortlisted for two 100MWp solar plants at Dabakala and Niakaramandougou, each paired with 33MWh of battery storage, under 25-year independent power producer concessions. The procurement sits inside a national target of 45% renewables in the electricity mix by 2030.

Developers have been shortlisted for two solar and storage projects in northern Côte d’Ivoire, according to Africa Energy, moving a procurement launched last year towards award.

Each plant is specified at 100MWp of solar photovoltaic capacity paired with 33MWh of battery storage, one at Dabakala in the north east and one at Niakaramandougou in the centre of the country. Both will be awarded as 25-year independent power producer concessions covering design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance, run through the state utility Ci-Energies.

Against the scale of that ambition sits the starting point. Côte d’Ivoire had around 40MW of installed solar at the end of 2024 by the International Renewable Energy Agency’s count, and thermal generation accounted for roughly 69% of installed capacity of 2,907MW as of 2023.

Storage is what makes the difference between the two numbers manageable. A grid that is two thirds thermal absorbs intermittent solar badly without it, and 33MWh per site gives the system somewhere to put midday output and something to draw on when demand peaks after dark.

The procurement falls under the Pacte National Énergie, the government’s framework for reaching 45% renewables including hydropower in the national mix by 2030, which also sets the country’s ambition of serving as a power exporter to its neighbours.