On June 5, 2024, after a 72-hour full trial run, the first unit of the Gessipo-Popoli Power Station, the largest hydropower station under construction in Côte d'Ivoire and constructed by China Power Construction Corporation, was successfully connected to the grid and began commercial operation, marking the official entry of the project into the commercial service stage.

The power station is located in the southwest of Côte d'Ivoire, in the middle and lower reaches of the Sassandra River. It is the third-level hydropower station in the cascade development plan of the Sassandra River Basin and the second hydropower station built by China Power Construction Corporation in Côte d'Ivoire in the EPC general contracting mode. The total installed capacity of this power station is as high as 112.9MW, with a total storage capacity of 82 million cubic meters and an estimated annual power generation of 554GW. The main buildings of the power station include earth-rock dams, spillways, power plant buildings and other key facilities.

After completion, it will add 554 million kWh of clean electricity to Côte d'Ivoire every year, which is of great significance to Côte d'Ivoire's national power security, economic and social development, and deepening of the China-Côte d'Ivoire strategic partnership.

The successful grid connection and power generation of the first unit of the power station marks that the power supply structure of the national power grid of Côte d'Ivoire has been further optimized, providing Côte d'Ivoire with more stable, reliable, flexible, efficient, green and clean power support. This milestone event has a far-reaching impact on the high-quality development of Côte d'Ivoire's national industry and has injected strong impetus into the country's economic prosperity and social progress.Editor/Zhang Liyuan