Ivory Coast and Masdar, a company based in the UAE, have just signed a contract for the construction of a 50–70 megawatt (MW) solar power project to diversify its energy consumption.
“Masdar and the Ivorian Ministry of Mining, Petroleum and Energy will explore the joint development of solar photovoltaic plants in Côte d’Ivoire, starting with a first 50-70-megawatt (MW) plant,” Masdar said.
According to Mamadou Coulibaly, the Minister of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy of the Ivory Coast, his country had developed a master plan that incorporated solar, hydroelectric, and biomass sources for the expansion of its facilities.
Mohamed Al Ramahi, the chief executive of Masdar, added that Africa has enormous potential for renewable energy, especially when taking into account the rate of the continent’s economic expansion.
“With Africa’s massive projected development and growth, and low current clean energy penetration levels, we see enormous potential for the renewable energy sector across the continent,” said Mohamed Al Ramahi.
“This agreement will support [the Ivory Coast’s] clean energy goals and help to drive sustainable economic development for the nation,” he added.
Masdar wants to supply 100 gigawatts of green energy to the entire planet by 2030 and believes Africa has “enormous potential” to achieve this goal. By 2030, Ivory Coast wants to generate around 45% of its power from sustainable energy sources, one of its sustainability targets. This objective is also in line with the “Etihad 7” initiative of the United Arab Emirates, which aims to fund renewable energy projects in Africa with a 20-gigawatt capacity by 2035.
