Cote d'Ivoire Renewable Energy & Financial Stability Initiative (WB-P510702)

Regions
  • Africa
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Ivory Coast
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • World Bank (WB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Proposed
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
A
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Feb 25, 2027
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Government of Ivory Coast - CI-Energies
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Energy
  • Finance
  • Law and Government
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Guarantee, Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 20.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 1,220.30 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ WB website

Updated in EWS Sep 21, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Oct 21, 2025

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, the objective of this project is to enhance the short- to medium- term financial viability of the electricity sector and increase renewable energy capacity.

The proposed REFI project supports the Government of Cote d'Ivoire in restoring the financial sustainability of the electricity sector and accelerating the energy transition. It includes an IBRD Loan Guarantee of up to EUR [622] million to help refinance arrears and short-term debt, thereby creating fiscal space and restoring investor and lender confidence and to enable investment in grid-connected solar generation and battery storage. The project also includes a EUR [17] million IBRD Loan to provide technical support to CI-Energies for effective project implementation. REFI is part of a broader energy sector recovery and reform program under the Government's Energy Compact and the World Bank Group's engagement.

The project includes three components:
* Component 1: Arrears clearance and short-term debt refinancing -- supported by IBRD guarantee-backed commercial financing to clear payment arrears to IPPs and gas suppliers and refinance short-term liabilities.
* Component 2: Green investments in renewable energy and battery energy storage systems -- supported by IBRD guarantee-backed commercial financing for two 120 MWp solar PV plants with 120 MWh battery storage and associated transmission, to expand clean energy and grid reliability.
* Component 3: Technical assistance and capacity building -- supported by IBRD loan to provide institutional and technical support to CI-Energies for the preparation, procurement, and implementation of solar and storage investments.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

The Environmental Risk Rating for the project is Substantial. The construction of two solar plants with 120 MWh energy storage systems is planned for two have been pre-identified sites of 200 ha each in Kong and one site of 400 ha in Serebou, respectively in the North and East of Cote d’Ivoire. The Transmission Lines layout, less than 7km for each site, are still to be finalized. While large scale solar PV and BESS technologies are well-established and proven, their deployment still necessitates diligent risk monitoring, and robust safety protocols for battery systems to mitigate both potential occupational and nearby communities’ risks associated with explosions, hazardous emissions and noise. Key additional environmental risks include land disturbance, habitat fragmentation, dust, noise, waste, erosion, sedimentation, e-waste management, solar panel cleaning water usage, pollution, and traffic. The Serebou site near the Comoe River may impact hippopotamus habitats, necessitating additional mitigation measures for aquatic biodiversity. MAdditionally, the Serebou site is situated near the Comoe River, a known habitat for hippopotamuses. This proximity may necessitate the implementation of additional mitigation measures to address potential impacts on aquatic and riparian biodiversity.

The Social Risk Rating for the project is Substantial. The screening indicates that the project may lead to low to moderate levels of involuntary resettlement for the two PV plants in Kong and Serebou. The Northern region of Côte d'Ivoire, noted for its volatile security situation, also presents higher risks of social conflict, particularly involving nomadic pastoralists. OHS risks include handling hazardous materials and fire safety concerns related to the construction and operation of RE and BESS technologies. The risk of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH) is rated as ‘Moderate’.

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

Total Project Cost: US$ 1,220.30 million
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD): US$ 20.00 million
IBRD Guarantee: US$ 720.00 million

Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

Côte d'Ivoire Energies (CI-ENERGIES) is a state-owned public utility company in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) responsible for managing the country's electricity sector assets and infrastructure.

Private Actor 1 Private Actor 1 Role Private Actor 1 Sector Relation Private Actor 2 Private Actor 2 Role Private Actor 2 Sector
- - - - Ci-Energies Client -

Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

CONTACT POINT - World Bank

Task Team Leader: Arnaud Braud
Title: Senior Energy Specialist
Email: abraud@worldbank.org

TTL Contact: Tu Chi Nguyen
Job Title: Senior Energy Economist
Email: tnguyen19@worldbank.org

TTL Contact: Bettina Christina Barbara Winstel
Job Title: Senior Infrastructure Finance Specialist
Email: bwinstel@worldbank.org

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

To submit an information request for project information, you will have to create an account to access the Access to Information request form. You can learn more about this process at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/access-to-information/request-submission

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank Inspection Panel is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by a World Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Inspection Panel, they may investigate to assess whether the World Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can contact the Inspection Panel or submit a complaint by emailing ipanel@worldbank.org. Information on how to file a complaint and a complaint request form are available at: https://www.inspectionpanel.org/how-to-file-complaint

How it works

How it works