The Singrobo plant catalyses the Ivorian government’s strategic plan for the development of the electricity sector, which aims to increase the total installed capacity to 4.2 GW (from approximately 2.2 GW currently) by 2030 mainly through Public-Private Partnerships, reaffirming EAIF’s role as a pathfinder supporting the development of nascent renewable energy markets. A long-term power purchase agreement will see all of the energy produced by the Singrobo plant sold to Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricité, the operator of Côte d’Ivoire’s national grid. In addition to closing the rural energy access gap and strengthening economic productivity, the plant’s flexible operating model enhances grid resilience, meaning it may be called in to meet baseload and peak demand.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) acted as the mandated lead arranger of the debt finance and will be a senior lender in its own right. In addition to AfDB and EAIF, the other lenders are the German international development agency, DEG and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC). Furthermore, 25% of the project cost is funded by equity from the project’s shareholders, IHE Holding, the Africa Finance Corporation and DIPFA, a Denham Capital-owned international investment platform for power projects. Neo Themis SARL is advising and acting for the shareholders in relation to finalising the project’s development and the financing agreements.
The project site is located on the Bandama River, 23 km downstream of the existing Taabo Dam and upstream of the confluence of the Nzi River. It is 3.5 km from the Singrobo village in the province of Taabo and 148 km by road from Côte d’Ivoire’s capital city, Abidjan.
