Energy

With the recent economic growth spurt serving as a testament to Côte d’Ivoire’s recovery, the subsequent increase in energy consumption has also highlighted gaps in provision. Under pressure to satisfy growing domestic demand and to consolidate its position as a regional energy supplier, the power segment is currently going through an ambitious expansion exercise. Meanwhile, in the upstream oil and gas segment, operators are ramping up exploration and production activity in a bid to feed the country’s predominantly gas-fired thermal power plants. Such efforts should drive generating capacity to 3000 MW by 2020, up from 1600 MW in 2014 – an ambitious target alongside equally bold objectives of doubling production of natural gas and increasing oil output five-fold to 200,000 barrels per day (bpd). As the slate of ongoing projects in the power segment demonstrates, a guaranteed market and the commitment of the government to enable returns on investment, including by sharing the financial burden, has made for an attractive investment environment.

This chapter contains an interview with Izak Elyashiv, CEO, Telemenia.