Côte d’Ivoire Inaugurates 52-MWp Ferke Solar Farm

• Côte d’Ivoire launches the 52-MWp Ferke solar farm in Ferkessedougou—70 hectares, 73,300+ panels, 90 GWh yearly—its second solar project under a 25-year deal, pushing 2035 renewable targets.

Côte d’Ivoire inaugurated the 52-MWp Ferke solar farm in Ferkessedougou, northern Côte d’Ivoire, the government said, marking the country’s second such project. The plant sits on a 70-hectare site and includes more than 73,300 solar panels designed to generate about 90 GWh of electricity annually.

The project cost XOF 41 billion (about $71.4 million), developed by PFO Energies, a unit of investor PFO Africa, under a 25-year concession and power purchase agreement with the state. After the term, the facility will be transferred to the Ivorian government. Officials said the rollout supports a goal to raise renewable energy to 46.3% of the energy mix by 2035 and expand installed solar capacity above 1,300 MW.

How will Côte d’Ivoire’s 52-MWp Ferke solar farm boost renewable targets to 2035?

• Adds a utility-scale solar block of about 52 MW to Côte d’Ivoire’s grid, helping the country scale up electricity generation from renewables rather than relying on more fossil-heavy supply.
  
• Contributes roughly 90 GWh per year, increasing the share of clean power over time and supporting national targets to reach 46.3% renewables in the energy mix by 2035.
  
• Strengthens the pace of solar deployment toward the government’s stated objective to push installed solar capacity beyond 1,300 MW by 2035.
  
• Demonstrates repeatable, bankable project delivery under a long-term concession and power purchase agreement (25 years), which can unlock further investments needed to meet the 2035 timeline.
  
• Provides predictable, contracted offtake for solar output, improving financing confidence for additional plants planned during the run-up to 2035.
  
• Helps diversify generation across regions (northern Côte d’Ivoire), supporting broader geographic distribution of energy assets that can reduce vulnerability to localized constraints.
• Supports grid planning by adding medium-scale renewable capacity that can be integrated alongside other generation sources, easing system balancing needs as renewables rise.
  
• Reinforces the country’s “pipeline” effect—being the second solar project encourages follow-on development, operations experience, and supply-chain maturation needed to sustain growth to 2035.
• Improves long-term energy security by displacing some fuel-based generation with indigenous solar resources, which can stabilize exposure to international fuel price swings as renewable penetration increases.
• Builds operational experience in managing large PV plants (such as performance monitoring, maintenance practices, and lifecycle planning), which helps reduce costs and delays for future solar capacity additions before 2035.