Côte d’Ivoire signs €423 billion deal for 372 MW Songon power plant to boost national energy supply

Representing the Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, the Director General of Energy, Éhouman Kalifa Narcisse, presided on Monday, June 1, 2026, in Abidjan-Plateau, over the signing of financial agreements for the construction of a 372 MW combined-cycle power plant project in Songon, with a total investment of 423.166 billion CFA francs.

The signing ceremony, a symbol of South–South cooperation, took place between the Ministry and Energy China International, one of the world’s largest infrastructure groups in the energy and water sectors.

“This project, which is highly strategic for securing the balance between supply and demand in our power system, represents a total investment of 423.166 billion CFA francs, of which 342.129 billion is allocated to the power plant itself, accounting for more than 80% of the project cost. It will also strengthen our position as a regional energy hub in West Africa,” explained Éhouman Kalifa Narcisse.

He further announced that the shared objective is to achieve financial close by the end of 2026, in order to ensure timely commissioning and “guarantee populations reliable, abundant, high-quality electricity at lower cost.”

For his part, the President of Energy China International, Qiao Xubin, stated that Côte d’Ivoire has become a strategic priority market for the group, as reflected by its current investment portfolio of over €3 billion across the energy and transport sectors.

“For the Songon project, we are deploying our excellence model, which integrates financing, construction, and operation, ensuring full control of the value chain in service of performance,” he said.

According to him, the Songon power plant will generate approximately 2.8 billion kWh of electricity annually and provide stable, clean, and efficient power to more than 31 million people.

“This plant will help ease the energy pressure on the Abidjan metropolitan area, providing a reliable foundation for talent development, the growth of industrial zones, the dynamism of SMEs, and a tangible improvement in the daily lives of millions of households in Côte d’Ivoire,” he added.