Cote d'Ivoire opens its largest Chinese-built hydropower dam

The inauguration ceremony of Soubre hydropower dam, the largest of its kind in Cote d'Ivoire, and the foundation stone laying ceremony of Gribo-Popoli project were held on Nov 2. Both two projects are undertaken by POWERCHINA.

Alassane Ouattara, President of Cote d'Ivoire, Sun Liang, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Cote d'Ivoire and leaders of POWERCHINA attended the ceremony.

Alassane Ouattara, President of Cote d'Ivoire, speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the Soubre hydroelectric power station in Cote d'Ivoire, Nov 2, 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

President Ouattara delivered a speech at the inauguration ceremony held in front of the dam. During the speech, Ouattara expressed his thankfulness to both Chinese government and also POWERCHINA for its efforts and contribution to the Soubre project.

He was proud and pleased that the hydropower dam could start operation before the schedule time. According to Ouattara, people's electricity demand grows as their living standards improve. The power station provided clean and stable power supply, which changed energy structure and satisfied the growing energy demand in Cote d'Ivoire.

He also noted that Cote d'Ivoire is rich in water resources and will continue to support the construction of hydroelectric power stations.

The President announced that Cote d'Ivoire will issue a set of stamps featuring Soubre hydroelectric power station to commemorate its operation.

Wang Jun, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Cote d'Ivoire, said that in the past few years, with the joint efforts of Chinese government and President Ouattara, the Chinese-funded Soubre hydroelectric power station started generating electricity ahead of schedule.

Wang Jun, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Cote d'Ivoire, speaks at the inauguration ceremony of Soubre hydroelectric power station in Cote d'Ivoire on Nov 2, 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The project contributes greatly to the improvement of people's livelihoods and promotes electricity and economic development in Cote d'Ivoire. It is a good example of China - Cote d'Ivoire cooperation. He said that the two countries will strengthen cooperation for mutual benefits.

At the ceremony, President Ouattara awarded Zhang Shuguang, Soubre project manager from POWERCHINA with "Cote d'Ivoire National Medal of Honor" and gave the Chinese Embassy in Cote d'Ivoire and Exim Bank of China "China-Cote d'Ivoire Cooperative Development Award" to commend their outstanding contributions to Soubre project.

Zhang Nianmu, general manager of the Central and Western African Regional Department of POWERCHINA, presented a crystal model of Soubre hydroelectric power station to the President, which symbolizes the cooperation and friendship between China and Cote d'Ivoire.

Soubre hydroelectric power station is located at Nawa waterfall on the Sassandra River, which is a core project of Cote d'Ivoire's energy balance strategy. It is invested of about $ 572 million with a total construction period of 56.5 months. Its annual power generation capacity is expected to reach 1,190 GW.

The Gribo-Popoli project is also on the Sassandra River, a dam 16 km downstream of Soubre. The power station, with a total investment of about $336 million, consists of dam, plant, tailrace, downstream protective embankment and plant platforms. Its installed capacity will be about 112.3 MW.