The Atinkou power project, also known as the Ciprel V power plant, is a 390MW gas-fired, combined-cycle power project under construction in the Lagunes region of the Ivory Coast.

The project is being developed by Atinkou, a subsidiary of pan-African industrial group Eranove, with an estimated investment of approximately £352m ($450m).

The Government of Ivory Coast signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with  Eranove to execute the financing, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Atinkou power project in September 2016. It was followed by the signing of a 20-year concession agreement in December 2018.

The notice to proceed with the site works for the project was issued in December 2020 with the commissioning expected by late 2022.

Project Gallery

The project is estimated to generate up to 2,875GWh of electricity annually which will be enough to power approximately one million homes.

Location and site details

The Atinkou combined cycle power project is located approximately 40km away from Abidjan city in the prefecture of Jacqueville, in the Lagunes region of the Ivory Coast.

The project site covers approximately 20ha in the Taboth village, approximately 800m south of the Ebrié lagoon.

Atinkou combined-cycle power plant make-up

The Atinkou combined-cycle power plant will be equipped with a 255MW SGT5-4000F class gas turbine, a 135MW SST5-3000 steam turbine, and an SPPA-T3000 control system from Siemens.

The project also involves the construction of cooling towers, a cooling tower pumping station, associated auxiliary equipment, a 40m-tall bypass chimney, and a 60m-tall main chimney equipped with silencers, filters, and a gas monitoring system, apart from the administrative and maintenance buildings.

The electrical components include a step-up transformer, circuit breakers, and conductors, along with the electrical transmission system.

Gas supply

The feed gas for the Atinkou combined-cycle power plant will be supplied through a 4.2km-long pipeline connection with the Foxtrot pipeline.

Power evacuation

The electricity generated by the Atinkou gas-fired power plant will be evacuated through a 400kV power transmission line connecting the Akoupé-Zeudji substation.

Finance

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group signed an agreement with the State of Côte d’Ivoire to fund £263.95m ($337.70m) for the power project in March 2020.

The project will also be funded by African Development Bank (AfDB), the German Cooperation Bank (DEG), Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), Netherlands Development Finance Corporation (FMO), and the OPEC Fund for International Development.

EAIF will contribute approximately £31.35m ($40.12m) as part of the loan required for the project.

Contractors involved

TSK was awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract worth £223.38m ($295.43m) by Eranove for the development of the project in November 2020.

Siemens Energy was subcontracted by TSK for the manufacturing and supply of turbines and generators along with the ancillary equipment in April 2021. The contract scope also includes a 12-year service agreement (LTSA).

Hamon was placed an order for the manufacturing and delivery of seven cell seawater, fire-resistant induced draft cooling tower for the project in May 2021.

Enval and Environmental Resources Management (ERM) carried out an environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA), while research firm Insuco conducted the impact study for the water intake and discharge from the power project.

Tractebel Engie was engaged as the owner’s engineer, while global law firm White and Case was engaged to deliver financial advisory services on the project. Hughes Hubbard and Reed assisted the Government of Côte d'Ivoire with the financial structure of the project.