After the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) agreed to provide Ecostar Energy Cote d’Ivoire with a grant, Ecostar agreed to provide the required technical assistance to the development of a biomass power plant, which has an estimated capacity of 25 megawatts.

Once the agreement was announced, Ecostar chose Washington, D.C.-based Delphos International Ltd., to provide the technical assistance and it has become clear that this plant will provide huge benefits to all the companies involved, plus the environment and consumers of energy produced by the plant.

The addition of this biomass plant comes with three major, central benefits, which include, tackling the challenges created by the amount of widespread agricultural waste, it will increase the country’s renewable energy sources and provide a greater revenue for farmers.

The biomass plant will manage the amount of widespread agricultural waste, through using this waste, mainly locally sourced cotton stalk, for its feedstock for its fuel. This is a major benefit as if this agricultural waste is not used, it will be burned. Therefore, using it means it is not only going into an eco-friendly process, but also it will prevent damage to the environment, caused by the harmful chemicals which will be emitted when it is burned.

The plant has a capacity of about 25 megawatts, which means it will certainly increase Cote d’Ivoire’s electricity generation capacity. Furthermore, due to its feedstock which provides the plant with greener manufacturing techniques, the energy produced will be renewable, therefore the plant will provide an increase of renewable energy to the country, which is a product that is highly desired within countries aiming to become greener.

USTDA’s director, Enoh T, commented, “USTDA’s partnership with Ecostar will support the diversification of Côte d’Ivoire’s power generation mix with a renewable resource that is locally abundant. This project will also contribute to the country’s power generation capacity to keep up with its growing economy, while creating opportunities for US companies to partner with Ecostar to supply the equipment and services needed for project implementation.”

The CEO of Ecostar Energy Côte d’Ivoire, Sylvain Kouame, added, “Like most African countries, the Ivorian economy is heavily reliant on agriculture. Biomass generated as a byproduct of farming activities could foster socio-economic growth in marginal regions through its capacity to enhance energy security. This grant from USTDA comes in a timely manner and covers all funding gaps needed to complete outstanding feasibility workstreams.”