Côte d’Ivoire has signed a $3 million agreement to build the world’s first national grid-connected power plant powered entirely by agricultural waste from cocoa and rubber production.

The deal, signed on June 3, 2025, in Divo by local energy developer SODEN and Dutch investor Climate Fund Managers (CFM), marks a significant milestone in the country’s renewable energy strategy.

The upcoming 76 MW biomass facility will consume roughly 600,000 tons of cocoa shells, pods, off-grade beans, and rubber tree residues annually.

It is expected to generate 550 GWh of electricity per year and is slated to begin operations by 2029.

The project reflects Côte d’Ivoire’s broader effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels by tapping into its abundant agricultural byproducts.

“Each year, cocoa production generates millions of tonnes of unutilized waste, which bring no income to producers. By exploiting this still untapped resource to produce clean and reliable energy, we are transforming a national challenge into an opportunity for sustainable growth, rural prosperity, and strengthening of the energy system,” said SODEN CEO Yapi Ogou.

The initiative is part of a wider national push to develop a domestic biofuel industry.

In early 2024, Italian energy company Eni launched a campaign to collect rubber seeds, previously discarded as waste, for conversion into vegetable oil for biofuel.

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That effort gained traction on May 28 with a separate agreement between Eni and Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Agriculture to expand the program and introduce new oil-producing crops.

During a pilot in 2023, Eni paid approximately CFA100 million (about $174,000) for 1,500 tons of rubber seeds.

The company now plans to procure up to 50,000 tons in 2024.

Côte d’Ivoire is targeting a 45% share of renewables in its energy mix by 2030, broken down into 33% from hydropower and 12% from biomass and solar.

The government’s National Energy Pact outlines an ambitious goal of attracting $2 billion in private investment to improve power generation, transmission, and distribution while transitioning to cleaner sources.

In addition to cocoa and rubber, the country is building biomass plants fueled by other major crops.

In 2022, construction began on a 46 MW power station in Aboisso using 520,000 tons of palm oil waste.

That $200 million project, led by BIOVEA Energy, is expected to go online by the end of 2025.

A separate 25 MW plant in Boundiali, powered by cotton stalks, is under development through a U.S. Trade and Development Agency grant signed in 2023 with Ecostar Energy.

With an annual cocoa output of 1.67 million tons, 700,000 hectares of rubber trees, and expansive palm and cotton farming, Côte d’Ivoire’s agricultural sector offers immense potential for biomass-based energy.

These projects aim not only to improve energy security and reduce waste but also to generate new income streams for rural communities.

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