Name of the Project
Singrobo-Ahouaty hydroelectric development.

Location
On the Bandama river, 23 km downstream of the existing Taabo dam and upstream of the confluence of the Nzi river, in Côte d’Ivoire.

Project Owner/s
Ivoire Hydro Energy (IHE).

Project Description
Singrobo will be Côte d’Ivoire’s first hydroelectric project developed by an independent power producer.

The new plant will be an essential strategic economic asset for Côte d’Ivoire, where electrification rates range from 88% in urban areas to as low as 31% in rural areas.

The project entails the construction of a 44 MW hydroelectricity generation plant and will comprise:

• a 27-m-high and 1025-m-long rockfill dam on the right bank of the Bandama river;
• a 27-m-high and 150-m-long concrete dam on the left bank;
• a spillway, water intake structure and bottom outlet in the centre;
• a 19.6 km² reservoir, with a volume of about 105 h/m³;
• two 5-m-diameter penstocks;
• a powerhouse, with two horizontal 22 MW Kaplan turbines supplied by GE/Alstom;
• a 1.3-km-long and 35-m-wide tailrace channel;
• about 3 km of access roads;
• camp site facilities, including construction facilities and a permanent operations and maintenance camp site; and
• a 4 km, 90 kV transmission line and substation to connect the hydropower plant to the existing Taabo-Agboville transmission line.

By displacing expensive peak-time diesel generating plants and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 124 000 t/y, the IHE plant is also integral to the government’s efforts to achieve the United Nations’ sustainable development goals on climate action and on affordable and clean energy.

A long-term power purchase agreement will result in all the energy produced by the Singrobo plant sold to Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricité – the operator of Côte d’Ivoire’s national grid.

Potential Job Creation
The project is expected to create more than 500 jobs.

Capital Expenditure
€174-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Financial close is expected late in the third quarter of 2021 and is expected to take 36 months to build.

Latest Developments
Infrastructure development funds, Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) and Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), have announced a €25-million finance facility to IHE.

The African Development Bank acted as the mandated lead arranger of the debt finance and will be a senior lender in its own right. Other lenders are the German international development agency, DEG and the Africa Finance Corporation.

Further, 25% of the project cost is funded by equity from the project’s shareholders, IHE Holding, the Africa Finance Corporation and DIPFA, a Denham Capital-owned international investment platform for power projects.

EAIF’s long-term financing package enables IHE to achieve financial close for the project, accelerating the design, construction and operation of the power plant and associated infrastructure, and boosting rural access to clean energy.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
GE and Alstom (Kaplan turbines); Norton Rose Fulbright (international legal counsel); Royal HaskoningDHV (lenders’ technical adviser and environment and social adviser); Mott McDonald (lenders’ adviser for construction monitoring); Mazars (model audit and tax adviser); INDECS Consulting and Platinum (insurance adviser and broker); and EAIF (loan finance).

Contact Details for Project Information
IHE, tel +225 27 21 74 4504 or email contact@iheci-spv.com.