Governmental Framework

Ministère du Pétrole, de l’Énergie et du Développement des Énergies Renouvelables

The Ministère du Pétrole, de l’Énergie et du Développement des Énergies Renouvelables (Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energy Development) is responsible for national energy policy and coordination of the activities in the sector. The Ministry sets the sector’s framework. It monitors electricity production, distribution transmission equipment, social electrification and the promotion and management of renewable energies.

The General Directorate of Energy comprises three Central Directorates and two related departments. The central directorates are the Directorate for Energy Monitoring and Regulation, the Directorate of New and Renewable Energies, and the Directorate of Rural Electrification while the related departments are the Bureau of Energy Saving (BEE); and the Department of Administration and Materials (SAM).

http://www.energie.gouv.ci/

L’Autorité Nationale de Régulation du Secteur de l’Électricité de Côte d’Ivoire (ANARE)

The Autorité Nationale de Régulation du Secteur de l’Electricité de Côte d’Ivoire (ANARÉ – National Electricity Sector Regulatory Authority) is responsible for the regulation of the electricity sector. The agency was established in 1998. It is in charge of overseeing the compliance with the laws, regulations and obligations under authorizations and conventions in force in the electricity sector. It proposes the electricity tariffs to the state as well as the tariffs to access the national grid. ANARE ensures protection of consumers and their rights and arbitrates disputes between operators or between operators and the state. Finally, it advises and assists the state in regulating the electricity sector. The Electricity Code of 2014 gives greater independence and authority to the body by specifically providing that it is an independent legal entity with financial autonomy.

http://www.anare.ci/

Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Électricité (CIE)

The Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Électricité (CIE – Ivorian Electricity Company) is a vertically integrated monopoly, handling most generation, management and distribution of electricity in the country. Created in August 1990 by the French group Bouygues and the electricity company EDF, CIE is a mainly private Ivoirian company that holds a public service concession for the production, transportation, export, import, distribution and marketing of electricity. The IPPs in the generation sector sign Power Purchasing Agreements with CIE in its role as the sole transmission and distribution operator.

http://www.cie.ci/

Société des Energies de Côte d’Ivoire (CI-ENERGIES)

In December 1998, the state undertook a reform of its institutional framework, limited the mandate of the CIE and created two new national companies: The Société de Gestion du Patrimoine du Secteur de l’Electricité (SOGEPE) was set up to manage the assets of the state and the financial flows of the sector on its behalf. The Société d’Opération Ivoirienne l’Électricité (SOPIE) was created to ensure long term planning of the sector. In 2010, Côte d’Ivoire undertook another reform, which led to the merger of SOGEPE and SOPIE under the new national electricity company Société des Énergies de Côte d’Ivoire (CI-ENERGIES). CI-ENERGIES continues to carry out the tasks of both companies and thus manages on behalf of the state the electricity supply as well as new projects as grantor of concession agreements.

http://www.cinergies.ci/

Other government initiatives include; The National Program for Rural Electrification (PRONER) that was launched by the government of Côte d’Ivoire in 2014 which aims to increase the penetration rate of electricity to 80% by 2020 and the coverage rate to about 100%. It also plans to maintain an electrification rate of 500 new localities (each with over 500 inhabitants) annually until 2020.  The Electricity For All Program was adopted in 2014 with the aim to establish 200,000 new grid connections to the grid per annum.

The key document for the development of the Ivorian electricity sector is the Electricity Law of 1985, which liberalized the market. Since then three IPPs entered into power generation. Among the government’s strategies to increase power capacity and achieve financial equilibrium of the sector, Côte d’Ivoire reformed its electricity sector once again in a new Electricity Code in March 2014. While there is no policy document in place for the expansion of renewable energy in particular, the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) of Côte d’Ivoire to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) does include a target of 42% electricity production from renewable energy including large hydropower. In addition, green energy sources are expected to play a major role in the Strategic Action Plan for the Development of the Electricity Sector by 2030.

Electricity Law 1985

The Electricity Law of 1985 opened up electricity production to private operators, but the transmission, distribution, import and export activities of electricity remained a state monopoly. The state granted a private operator, the Companie Ivoirienne l’Électricité, a concession over the production, transmission, distribution, import and export of electricity. The CIE replaced the former national company.

Electricity Code 2014

In 2014 the sector was reformed with a new Electricity Code, a comprehensive framework for the production, transport, dispatch, distribution, commercialization, import and export of electricity. The Code reinforces the powers and competencies of the regulatory authority for the electricity sector, takes into account new and renewable energy sources and includes provisions to combat fraud and illegal activities that cause many technical and commercial losses in the sector. The document further liberalizes the power sector by formally ending the state monopoly on transport, distribution, commercialization, import and export activities of electricity. All those activities may now be undertaken by one or more private operators.

As in many countries in the region, electricity tariffs in Côte d’Ivoire have been considered as too low and not cost reflective. Social tariffs have also been put in place affecting the profitability of the sector and hindered investment plans. Côte d’Ivoire has designed a new pricing strategy which consists of taking a large volume of consumers out of the social tariffs, implementing gradual price increases to bridge the generation cost differential and renegotiating export prices. The Electricity Code reflects this pricing strategy by setting the pricing principles for electricity.

Strategic Action Plan for the Development of the Electricity Sector by 2030

In its Strategic Action Plan for the Development of the Electricity Sector (Plan Stratégique de Développement 2011-2030 de la République de Côte d’Ivoire Ministère des Mines, du Pétrole et de l’Energie), the Ivorian government identified 66 projects that will require significant investment from the private sector, including through PPPs with IPPs. The government intends to develop a balanced energy portfolio by encouraging the production of new and renewable energy sources. Out of the additional 1,500 MW capacity that the country plans to commission by 2020, hydroelectric and thermal power plants developed by private operators account for around 85%. Renewable energy is planned to constitute 5% of the supply mix by 2015, 15% by 2020 and 20% by 2030.

Côte d’Ivoire received the third biggest share of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in West Africa to the sum of USD 1 billion in 2015. This flow of investment was prompted by consistent economic growth and the improved business and macroeconomic environment, which encouraged more firms to operate. There is still room for increasing FDI and growth of public-private partnerships with better policies that reduce risk for investors. Challenges still exist for investors in areas of taxation and in access to land titles and funding.

Laws and Regulations Governing Foreign Direct Investment

Programme for Investment in Energy Access Services (PNIASE-CI)

Le programme national d’investissement pour l’accès aux services énergétiques en Côte d’Ivoire (PNIASE-CI – National Programme for Investment in Energy Access Services) was established in 2012 and has three components which are access to electricity; access to modern cooking energy; and access to diesel energy. The components consist of five sectoral sub-programmes: agriculture, education, energy, water and health.

Investment Code

The investment code Ordinance No. 2012-487 was established in June 2012. It is the framework of regulations guiding investment in Côte d’Ivoire. It covers in detail topics like the obligations of investors, incentive schemes for investments and guarantees given to investors. This Code aims to encourage and promote green and socially-responsible investment in the country. It also supports activities such as processing indigenous raw materials, enhancing the quality of life, protecting the environment and promoting a green economy.

Renewable Energy Investment Incentives

The government of Côte d’Ivoire provides reductions in sales, energy, VAT and other taxes for renewable energy.

Rural Electrification Fund (REF)

The rate of rural electrification is 31% this means that parts of the population do not have access to electricity even though they are in close proximity of the grid. In most rural areas, this gap can be caused by the high upfront connection charges. The ‘Electricity for All’ (E4All) Program was adopted by in May 2014 by the Government to accelerate connecting the population to the grid. The Funds for E4All help by removing the problem of high upfront charges.

Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Energy Financing (SUNREF)

The Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Energy Financing (SUNREF) facility provides support to local and regional financial institutions to finance small and medium size private renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. SUNREF West Africa started successfully in September 2014.The programme is co-financed by AFD (EUR 30m), the Fond Français pour l’Environnement Mondial – FFEM (EUR 1.5m) and EU-AITF TA (EUR 6m). It is composed of concessional credit lines, a regional TA programme, and an investment grant scheme. Projects in Côte d’Ivoire are eligible.