The new energy minister’s go-ahead for the expansion of two major gas-fired power schemes and the approval of international financing for a new hydropower dam point to positive developments that will speed efforts to increase generation capacity. This flurry of activity might even unblock gas import terminal plans, but domestic politics cloud the picture ahead of the 2020 presidential elections, write African Energy Correspondents

New petroleum, energy and renewable energy minister Abdourahmane Cissé’s approval of plans for Paris-based investment company Eranove Group to build a 390MW gas-fired power plant at Jacqueville, near Abidjan, and for Globeleq’s 430MW Azito plant to add another 253MW in a CFA225.8bn ($385m) revamp suggests an acceleration of efforts to have 4GW of installed capacity in place by the time Côte d’Ivoire goes to the polls in 2020.
African Energy issue 385, 31 January 2019. Read more