Work on the $400m expansion project started in 2013 and involved installation of additional 138MW unit at the 288MW single-cycle power plant.
Reuters cited Azito Energie general manager Luc Aye as saying: "We want to increase the country’s electricity production capacity and give it the means of accomplishing its ambitions."
Located near Azito village in the Yopougon district, the expanded facility is expected to generate 2,723GWh electricity, while reducing approximately 400,000t of CO2 emissions annually.
"It will bring abundant low-cost energy to satisfy demand and, in particular, help industries to set up in the country," Aye added.
Azito Energie is owned by Globeleq and Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development majority-owned IPS (West Africa).
The World Bank’s investment arm the International Finance, the African Development Bank, the West African Development Bank and France’s Proparco have provided 80% of the project cost, while Globeleq and IPS (West Africa) provided the remaining.
The project is in line with Ivory Coast’s plan to become a regional power hub.
The country currently serves Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo and Mali, and intends to add Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone to its network.
Côte d’Ivoire operates three gas-fired thermal stations and six hydroelectric stations It plans to build renewable projects to reduce its reliance on natural gas.
