The Ivorian government on Friday inaugurated the 52-MWp Ferke solar farm in Ferkessedougou, northern Cote d’Ivoire, unveiling the second such plant in the country, it said.
Ferke sites on a 70-hectare (173 acres) site and features over 73,300 solar panels, which will help generate about 90 GWh of electricity annually, the government said.
The project required an investment of XOF 41 billion (USD 71.4m/EUR 62.5m), the authorities said. It was developed by PFO Energies, a unit of infrastructure investor PFO Africa, under a concession agreement and a power purchase agreement with the state.
Both agreements will run for 25 years. After that, the Ferke solar farm will be transferred to the Ivorian state.
The government said it remains committed to increasing the share of renewable energy to 46.3% of the energy mix by 2035.
“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 minister for mines, oil and energy Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly.
