The Ivorian Minister of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, laid the foundation stone on Thursday, October 22, 2026, in Lonankaha, in the Katiola department, for a 50-megawatt-peak photovoltaic solar power plant. The ceremony marks the launch of a project led by Katiola Solar Power.
The infrastructure must be built within fifteen months on a 60-hectare plot. It will be connected to the national power grid by a 1.3-kilometer line and is expected to provide electricity access to more than 300,000 people, according to the Ministry of Energy.
The construction site is expected to create nearly 150 direct jobs and involve up to 350 people at the peak of the work. About twenty positions are then planned for the operation and maintenance of the plant. The minister requested that young people from Katiola and Lonankaha be given priority in the recruitment process.
The developer indicated that the agreement concluded in December 2024 allowed for the initiation of studies and the selection of the company responsible for construction with CI-Energies. Letters of mandate have been signed with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Proparco, while financial closure is announced for the coming weeks.
A new milestone in the Ivorian solar program
The Katiola power plant is set to complement the solar capacities already connected to the grid, notably in Boundiali and Ferkessédougou. The ministry estimates the capacity at 80 MWp for Boundiali and 52 MWp for Ferkessédougou.
The government plans additional projects in Odienné, Niakara, Dabakala, Mankono, and Soubré, following the launches carried out in Kong and Bondoukou. Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly stated that 1,262 MWp of new solar capacity is expected to be added to the national grid by 2030.
This trajectory aligns with the authorities’ stated objective of increasing the share of renewable energies to 45 percent of the electricity mix by the end of the decade. The concession agreement for Katiola Solar Power was approved by the government in May 2025 for the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of the plant.
The mayor of Katiola, Thomas Camara, requested that the youth and women of the locality benefit from the project’s outcomes. The developer also mentioned compensation for the individuals affected by the land and support aimed at restoring their livelihoods.
