The I-TRACK Foundation has approved Côte d’Ivoire for I-REC(E) issuance following completion of the country assessment report prepared by AREA GROUP in collaboration with CI-ENERGIES. This approval enables eligible renewable electricity generation in the country to be issued with I-REC(E).
I-REC(E) Issuer in Côte d’Ivoire
The Green Certificate Company (GCC) has been approved as the I-REC(E) Issuer for Côte d’Ivoire until a suitable local organization has been identified. GCC is already responsible for the issuance of I-REC(E) in several I-REC(E) countries worldwide and operates as the default Issuer where no accredited local Issuer has yet been appointed.
Côte d’Ivoire
Côte d’Ivoire is a West African country along the Gulf of Guinea. It has an installed electricity generation capacity of 3,018 MW, with natural gas accounting for most generations and hydropower representing 990 MW of installed capacity. Electricity demand reached 10,882 GWh in 2024 and is growing at an average annual rate of approximately 7%, driven by industrial expansion and urbanization.
The country is interconnected with Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone through the West African Power Pool (WAPP). While electricity is traded across the regional network, Côte d’Ivoire produces sufficient electricity to meet domestic demand and exports approximately 5% of its total production in 2024. The country’s role within the WAPP and the Côte d’Ivoire–Liberia–Sierra Leone–Guinea (CLSG) interconnection positions it as an important participant in regional electricity trade.
The electricity sector is governed by the Electricity Code (Law No. 2014-132 of 24 March 2014), which liberalized the activities of electricity generation, transmission, distribution, import, export and marketing. The sector is regulated by the National Electricity Regulatory Authority (ANARE-CI), while CI-ENERGIES manages the State’s electricity assets. Public-private partnerships have played a central role in the sector’s development, with independent power producers accounting for approximately 65% of installed generation capacity.
Côte d’Ivoire’s legislative framework provides a positive environment for renewable energy development. The National Renewable Energy Action Plan (PANER) identifies green certificates as a potential policy instrument to encourage renewable electricity deployment, while the National Energy Pact aims to achieve universal access to electricity and increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix to 45% by 2030. Although current legislation does not explicitly recognize the separability of environmental attributes, no legal or regulatory barriers have been identified that would prevent the implementation of the I-REC Standard.
The country is also strengthening its climate policy framework through the establishment of the Carbon Markets Office and the development of procedures for participation in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Renewable energy certificates and carbon credits serve different purposes and address different market needs. While carbon credits represent quantified greenhouse gas emission reductions or removals, I-REC(E)s provide a mechanism to track and substantiate renewable electricity generation and consumption, supporting renewable electricity procurement and market-based Scope 2 reporting under international reporting frameworks.
Demand for renewable electricity certificates has already emerged in Côte d’Ivoire. More than 50,000 MWh of I-REC(E) have been redeemed by beneficiaries in the country since 2022 despite the absence of a registered domestic renewable electricity facility. Additional demand is expected from industrial and commercial electricity consumers, including companies operating in the mining, agriculture and manufacturing sectors that are increasingly required to report Scope 2 emissions and procure renewable electricity.
The I-TRACK Foundation recognizes that the availability of domestically issued I-REC(E)s will enable renewable electricity generators and consumers in Côte d’Ivoire to access the international renewable electricity attribute market while supporting renewable electricity claims and market-based Scope 2 accounting under internationally recognized reporting frameworks