The Ivory Coast has signed an agreement with the UAE renewable energy company Masdar to investigate the development of a 50-70 megawatt (MW) solar power plant, Masdar announced on Friday, the latest in a series of African agreements.
The West African cocoa-producing country has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 32% and increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix to more than 40% by 2030.
The agreement is part of a larger plan to build manufacturing facilities that use sun power, hydroelectricity, and biomass.
“Masdar and the Ivorian Ministry of Mining, Petroleum, and Energy will investigate the joint development of solar photovoltaic plants in Côte d’Ivoire, beginning with a first 50-70 megawatt (MW) plant,” Masdar said in a statement.
Masdar aims to deliver 100 gigawatts of green energy around the world by 2030 and sees “enormous potential” for this sector in Africa, it added.
In January, it signed an agreement with Ethiopia for the joint development of a 500-MW solar project. It also signed agreements with Angola, Uganda, and Zambia to develop renewable energy projects.