Download First CDM project registered in Ivory Coast

Press Release
First CDM project registered in Côte d’Ivoire
Paris, Thursday 09th of July 2009
First CDM project registered in Côte d’Ivoire
ecosur is pleased to announce the registration of Abidjan Municipal Waste To Energy Project - the first CDM
project ever registered in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).
Société Ivoirienne de Traitement des Déchets (SITRADE) – the project owner – will collect and treat 200.000 tons
of urban waste per year in a new facility located in Bingerville, North of Abidjan. After collection and sorting,
waste will be treated through anaerobic digesters. The resulting biogas will be used to produce electricity while
residual waste will be transformed into compost. The technology is provided by Italian manufacturer Promeco.
The project is expected to avoid more than 71,000 tons of CO2 eq. per year.
Project funding has been structured and arranged by the African Biofuel and Renewable Energy Fund (ABREF).
The Economic Community of West African States Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) is the major
project sponsor. “EBID will always be on the side of innovation and clean technologies to support West African
entrepreneurs” said Christian Adovelande, chairman of the Bank. Thierno Bocar Tall, head of ABREF added that
“Abidjan CDM project is a new evidence of West Africa’s commitment to sustainable development. Since 2006,
ABREF has been at the forefront of this effort. We will continue and accelerate our investment in CDM projects
together with ecosur.”
Carbon credits (CERs) have been sold through a forward contract. ecosur negotiated the transaction on behalf
of SITRADE with Green Hercules Trading Limited (“GHT”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cargill, Incorporated - a
leading US based agro-industrial group - and ABREF.
Reacting on SITRADE success, Cédric Lombardo and Bernard Houdin, Special Advisors to H.E. Laurent Gbagbo,
President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, explained that international investors should take a look to Côte
d’Ivoire to grasp the opportunities: “Environmental changes are well known in West Africa for nearly 30 years.
We must change this global challenge into opportunities for development. We are implementing a
comprehensive strategy to tackle climate change, and CDM is only a part of the solution. A new tax free zone
dedicated to clean technologies is under establishment close to Abidjan in Grand Bassam, to support CDM
development, environmental research, climate change mitigation and adaptation.”
The Ivory Coast DNA coordinator Marc Daubrey concluded that “SITRADE has opened new perspectives for
Côte d’Ivoire and West Africa. With the head of ANDE, Professor Séka Séka, and all the DNA team we will make
sure that this first step is followed by many others. We are currently assessing new projects. Côte d’Ivoire will be
the leading CDM host country in West Africa”.
SITRADE’s Board expressed his gratitude to all partners involved including ecosur, ABREF, EBID, Cargill, Promeco,
ANDE, ANASUR, FSA, the Ministry for Urban Development and Urban Health, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of
Environment.
The Clean Development Mechanism has been established by the Kyoto Protocol (into force since the 16th of
February 2005). The CDM rewards projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in emerging countries with
valuable carbon credits (CERs). CERs can be sold to government or industrial sites under carbon constraint
(European Union, Canada, Japan, Australia,…).
CDM projects have to comply with stringent procedural and methodological requirements. CERs generation
starts upon acceptance and registration of the project by the CDM Executive Board. To date only 1708
projects have been registered worldwide – mainly in China, India and Brazil.
Carbon finance is growing as one of the biggest commodity market. Starting from scratch in 2005 it reached
100 billion USD in 2008.
Contact :
Fabrice Le Saché / [email protected]