The government of Ivory Coast has officially launched the country's FCFA 460bn (US$820m) power grid renovation and development programme (Projet de développement et de réhabilitation du réseau électrique de Côte d’Ivoire, PRODERCI). The Eximbank of China will finance 95% of the programme.
The grid development project aims at improving access to electricity and cross-border power supply projects and at meeting the future demand from industrial and mining customers. The project will cover the North-East, North-Center, West-West and West zones. More than 1,600 km of power lines will be installed, along with 11 new high-voltage substations. Another 15 existing HV substations will be rehabilitated to ensure a greater reliability of the power grid and the continuity of service. The programme also aims at reducing technical losses and at promoting the introduction of renewable power generation such as solar in the domestic grid. The PRODERCI programme should end in July 2020.