FERKÉ SOLAR Solar Power Plant

Following the Paris Climate Conference (COP 21), the Ivorian government committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the share of renewable energy in its total energy production to 45% by 2030.

To contribute to this national effort, in partnership with the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy, PFO Énergies, a subsidiary of the PFO AFRICA Group, has proposed developing a solar power plant in the north of the country. The selected site is located 8.5 km south of Ferkessédougou, along the national highway and near the Fondonkaha sugar complex. The site covers approximately 70 hectares, of which 50 hectares will be used in the first phase, with the remaining 20 hectares reserved for a future expansion of the plant.

FERKÉ SOLAR, a company established to carry out the project, is responsible for the construction and operation of the power plant. A BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) contract was signed between the government and FERKÉ SOLAR, under which the company commits to building and operating a 52 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant. The energy produced will be fed into the national power grid. The project has an annual production capacity of 90 GWh. The concession term is 25 years.
This is the first solar project carried out by an independent power producer (IPP) in Côte d’Ivoire. This innovative project was structured without funding from the Ivorian government. It is supported by the West African Development Bank (BOAD), acting as lead arranger, and Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF), a subsidiary of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), managed by Ninety One. It will be carried out with technical assistance from VINCI ENERGIES CI. Construction is expected to take 14 months, during which time the project will create 500 direct jobs.

The project includes:

• The installation of 73,143 bifacial photovoltaic panels, arranged in parallel rows facing due south at a 10° angle, with 3.8 m spacing between rows;
• The construction of a “transmission substation” that converts the direct current supplied by the panels into alternating current and steps up the voltage from 33 kV to 90 kV;
• The construction of an 8.5-km 90-kV overhead line to connect the solar power plant to the national power grid via the Ferkessédougou substation.