Expected in fifteen months, the plant, led by Katiola Solar Power, is set to strengthen the national electricity supply and support the Ivorian ambition to increase renewable energy to 45% of the electricity mix by 2030. Côte d'Ivoire is adding another piece to its future solar park.
The Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, laid the foundation stone on 22 October 2026 for a 50 megawatt-peak (MWp) photovoltaic plant in Lonankaha, near Katiola, in the Hambol region, in the north-central part of the country. Planned to cover an area of 60 hectares, the infrastructure is to be built in fifteen months and will produce the equivalent of the electricity needs of more than 300 000 people.
The project will be developed by Katiola Solar Power under a contract covering the design, financing, construction, ownership, operation, and maintenance of the plant. Signed on 2 December 2024 and approved in May 2025, the agreement spans a duration of 25 years.
Once the plant is operational, the electricity produced will be injected into the national grid via a 1,3-kilometer connection line. The groundbreaking ceremony marks the project's transition to its execution phase.
Katiola Solar Power has signed mandate letters with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (BERD) and Proparco, a subsidiary of the Agence française de développement group dedicated to the private sector. Financial close is expected in "the coming weeks."
Starting from the ceremony on 22 October, the announced deadline positions the potential completion of the plant at the beginning of the year 2028. Katiola Solar Power also counts Toyota and Électricité de France (EDF) among the project's partners.
Katiola is part of the recent acceleration of the Ivorian solar program. Long dominated by gas-fired thermal power plants and hydroelectricity, the national production now includes several photovoltaic installations.
Boundiali, the country's first solar power plant, led the way in 2024 before undergoing an extension. The Sokoro 2 plant, in Ferkessédougou, was subsequently commissioned in July 2026 with a capacity of 52 MWp and an expected annual production of approximately 90 GWh.
Other 50 MWp projects are underway in Bondoukou and Kong. On the latter site, construction is already in progress and annual production is estimated at 96 GWh, which is equivalent to the announced consumption of approximately 240 000 people.
Simultaneously, the authorities are preparing new developments in Odienné, Niakara, Dabakala, Mankono, and Soubré, indicated Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly. At Katiola, the minister announced a target of 1 262 MWp of solar capacity injected into the national grid by 2030.
This scaling up is expected to contribute to increasing the share of renewable energy to 45% of the Ivorian electricity mix by the end of the decade. To meet rapidly growing electricity demand while maintaining exports to neighboring countries, Côte d'Ivoire plans to increase its installed capacity from 3 019 MW in 2024 to more than 5 100 MW in 2030.
Solar energy is expected to contribute to this growth, alongside gas, hydroelectricity, and biomass. Construction of the plant is expected to create approximately 150 direct jobs and mobilize up to 350 workers at the peak of construction.
Around twenty positions are expected to be maintained thereafter to ensure its operation and maintenance. The minister requested that available jobs be given priority to the residents of Lonankaha and Katiola.
Landowners made the 60 hectares required for the project available. The developer is announcing a compensation mechanism as well as support for affected individuals to help them restore their livelihoods.
The government also wishes for partners to support women active in agriculture and pottery, two iconic activities of the region. It should be noted that Katiola Solar Power is already considering a potential extension of the plant and is interested in the tenders planned for Dabakala and Niakaramandougou.
Published on 23/10/26 11:40 Jean Mermoz Konandi