Côte d’Ivoire Energy Market Overview

Côte d’Ivoire has an installed capacity of 1 400 MW (2011), 600 MW of which is hydro. The production assets mainly consist of 10 power plants (6 hydroelectric and 4 thermal). The capacity of 3 independent producers must be added to that of CIE: CIPREL’s and EEI’s Vridi power plant (300 MW and 110 MW), Azito Energy’s Azito power plant (300 MW).

The installed capacity has been increased by 15% in 2010 (110 MW) with the commissioning of the extension of the Vridi power plant. The cost of the project ($100m) has been financed by Libya Investment Corporation (LAICO). Vridi now accounts for a quarter of the country’s available capacity. Moreover, a 70 MW emergency gas fired power plant has been rented since 2010 by Aggreko to make up for shortages due to maintenance problems at Azito. Initially planned for the period 2010-2012, its leasing has been extended to 2014. The commissioning of these two facilities should solve power supply shortage issues. Until the early 80s, hydro accounted for ¾ of the installed capacity. Following severe drought in the country in 1984, the Government decided to diversify the production sources by building thermal power plants.

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In 2010 electricity production reached 6 TWh; thermal accounts for 2/3 of the total production. Since 2006, the electricity system has faced severe supply difficulties. Those difficulties are mainly due to the fall in the production of thermal energy, caused by the lack of natural gas, the delay in the development of new electricity capacities (in particular Azito) and the low level of rainfall in 2005 and 2006.

Côte d’Ivoire, which in 1994 was a net importer of electricity, became a net exporter in 1995; in that same year it exported 1.7 TWh to Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso, although because of production constraints it exported just 0.5 TWh in 2010; mainly to Burkina Faso.

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