EDF signed today in Abidjan, the concession agreement for the Biovéa biomass power plant with the
Ivorian government. This step should accelerate the progress of the project for work announced in mid-2020.
Valérie Levkov, Director of EDF Africa, gave her first reaction to La Tribune Afrique.
"It's a very good example of a circular economy", welcomes Valérie Levkov, Director Africa, Middle East
and EDF's Eastern Mediterranean. “All the conditions necessary to bring the project to fruition have been
accepted by the various partners. This signature is the key element of the economic model of this project which
includes the distribution of risks and responsibilities and which sets the role of each actor, including that of the
government, but also the price of electricity," she explains. A price that has been set at 62 FCFA per MW. " All
unravels from this signature, because, on this basis, we will finalize the financial package and the EPC contract
[Engineering Procurement Construction, editor's note]. We are close to the end for the closing of the project
“, she continues. EDF, as the leading operator of biomass power plants in France, with its 540 sites, has
carried out all the design studies for the plant, relying on its subsidiary, Dalkia, for the aspects
technologies. The concession contract signed today was therefore largely supported by the French company. "
We piloted the call for tenders and the selection of companies that will ensure the construction of the installation that
we will supervise. We will train the operating teams who will be recruited locally", details the
Africa Director of EDF. The construction of the plant should generate some 500 jobs
local. The biomass plant is part of the National Renewable Energy Action Plan
2014-2030 (PANER), which intends to increase the share of its energy mix from renewable energies to 42%
horizon 2030. To date, most of the electricity in Côte d'Ivoire is provided by thermal energy (up to
75%) and by hydroelectricity (25%). The country therefore lags significantly behind in terms of energy
renewables and the share of solar energy remains almost non-existent. Start of work planned
mid-2020 The biomass plant located 5 km from Aboisso will produce 336 GWh per year, the equivalent of the
annual consumption of 1.7 million inhabitants in Côte d'Ivoire. It will use nearly 480,000 tonnes of
oil palm waste, and will have a capacity of 46 MW divided between two units of 23 MW
each. Eventually, it will become the largest biomass power plant in West Africa, using waste
food industry. The project is led by the project company Biovéa Energie, made up of three
key players are EDF (40%), Meridiam (36%) and SIFCA via its subsidiary Biokala SA (24%). Biovéa is in
responsible for the design, financing, construction and operation of the plant for 25 years,
before the Ivorian government took ownership. The total cost of the project is around 200 million
euros, financed via a "project finance" type arrangement, the funds for which are mainly provided by
institutions such as Proparco (which granted a €90 million loan to SIFCA in October 2018) and
Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF). SIFCA, the local partner, will be in charge of setting up and
management of the biomass supply chain and the investment company Meridiam "will provide
its expertise on the financial stability of the project,” emphasizes Valérie Levkov. “It is a plant that must do
reference, because it will be by far the first biomass power plant connected to the network and the largest
power plant in West Africa", she explains. The project was born in 2014 and the construction should
start mid-2020. EDF's Africa director assures us "that it is better to take your time to carry out a
solid and well-understood project, than a project pushed too hard and which, in the long term, would not be stable enough »
especially since it involves several ministries (Economy and Finance, Agriculture, Environment, Electricity and
Prime Minister). “The whole difficulty was based on the transformation of the pre-existing energy deposit into an opportunity for the country. It took 5 years. It was necessary to explain and accompany the various ministries and parties
stakeholders, so that everyone in their area of expertise understands the ins and outs, and
overall value to the country,” she adds. What are the social and environmental impacts for Côte d'Ivoire? "
The power plant project concerns 11,000 non-industrial farmers who will see their income increase
by 10%. It is a project designed in a spirit of circular economy (...) we will buy the waste from
agriculture to village planters who live off the income from their palm plantations and their
food production. At the same time, we will improve oil palm crop yields, by
producing nearly 13,500 tons of potassium-rich ash, constituting a fertilizer that will be redistributed
to planters. Finally, we will develop a new biomass sector, generating hundreds of jobs.
From the first year, we expect to create 1,000 jobs”; says Valerie Levkov. “Low carbon” energy
produced by the biomass plant should make it possible to avoid 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 over 15 years, i.e. 180
000 tons per year. In addition, the plant and the plantations were chosen within a radius of 30 km. " He is
it is out of the question to travel hundreds of km to import biomass”; assures Valerie Levkov. As for
the environmental impact relating to the often controversial exploitation of oil palms, the Africa director,
Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean of EDF explains that "the cultivation of palm trees in Côte d'Ivoire is
endogenous and is essentially used for food. It will not be exported and there will be no deforestation
associated with this culture which is not destined to expand". Palm cultivation is today one of the
main crops at the national level. It represents nearly 200,000 jobs and supports more than 2 million
people. “You cannot confuse what you see in other countries, particularly in South Asia.
South (...) The trunks of trees in Côte d'Ivoire are cut approximately every 25 years, and replanted 1 for 1. We
we will use those that will be cut after 25 years”; she specifies. Biovéa is considered a “pilot” project
which should be replicated in other regions of West Africa. “We already have a few sites
in sight,” concludes Valerie Levkov.