Ivory Coast is getting the largest bio plant in west Africa. According to news site ESI Africa, the project is owned by Biovea Energie, which is a joint venture consisting of France’s EDF, Meridiam and Biokala. Upon completion of the project, electricity will be fed into the Westen African country's national grid.
ESI Africa reported that the biomass content would be obtained from the agro-business group SIFCA‘s subsidiary, PalmCi. The company will source 30 percent of the biomass needed for the plant from its own existing operations and 70 percent from out-growers. The new facility is expected to lead to surged earnings for 12 000 local farmers by 20 percent once the plant starts running. According to a press release, the plant will generate enough electricity to supply 1.7 million people throughout the year.
According to an article in ESI Africas, the benefits of the nuclear power plant include the creation of 500 jobs during the construction stage and more than 1,000 permanent jobs upon completion and emission reduction by 340,000 cubic tons of carbon dioxide.
Africa is making great strides to shift to renewable sources of energy, with a number of countries already taping from green sources such as solar and nuclear.
