From cocoa waste to reliable power

Côte d’Ivoire grows nearly 40% of the world’s cocoa. Yet as pods are harvested, millions of tonnes of husks and shells are left to rot on farms—fuelling pests and disease, releasing methane, and adding pressure to expand into forested areas. At the same time, climate shocks are hitting farmers hard: erratic rainfall, heatwaves, and disease outbreaks contributed to a sharp drop in national yields in 2023/24, with real impacts on household income.

Société des Énergies Nouvelles (SODEN) is turning that challenge into opportunity. Together with Climate Fund Managers (through the Climate Investor Two programme), SODEN is co-developing ECOR Divo—a 76 MW biomass-to-power plant in the Lôh-Djiboua region that will convert cocoa residues and other agricultural by-products into ~550 GWh of renewable baseload electricity each year under a 30-year agreement with CI-Energies. The project is expected to avoid ~173,000 tCO₂ annually while strengthening the resilience and incomes of up to 36,000 smallholder cocoa farmers who will supply sustainably managed biomass.

Mr Yapi Ogou, SODEN's General Director, said, "Every cocoa pod harvested in Côte d’Ivoire leaves behind residues that have long been seen as waste. Through the ECOR Divo project, we are transforming that waste into clean energy—and into new opportunities for farmers. By linking renewable power generation with climate-resilient farming, we are showing that energy security and agricultural resilience can go hand in hand."

Through the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) Origination Facility, SNV will provide a €500,000 grant to help de-risk the development phase and crowd in more than €300 million in construction finance. The support focuses on two pillars that link clean energy with resilient agriculture:

1. Farmer engagement and climate-resilient cocoa
   SODEN and SNV will establish 7–8 demonstration orchards (2–4 ha each) that function as Farmer Field Schools, training at least 4,500 farmers in orchard renewal, integrated pest management, agroforestry, and soil-water fertility management. A light-touch facilitation process will also map viable credit and extension options with cooperatives and local finance actors—laying the groundwork for scale during construction.

2. Environmental & social safeguards to lender standards

   The project will update the ESIA for the power plant and prepare new ESIAs for eight Primary Logistics Platforms (PLPs) and the transmission line, alongside an ESMP, Stakeholder Engagement Plan, and Gender Equality & Social Inclusion Plan aligned with the IFC Performance Standards and Equator Principles.

Diane Potey, SNV/DFCD's Regional Investment Expert for West Africa, said, “This is exactly the kind of catalytic partnership the DFCD Origination Facility was designed to support. By combining early-stage de-risking with strong environmental and social safeguards, we can unlock large-scale private investment while ensuring that climate-vulnerable farmers play an active role in the energy transition.”

Climate mitigation and adaptation - by design

ECOR Divo tackles mitigation and adaptation together. By replacing fossil generation and preventing uncontrolled decomposition of residues, it reduces emissions. By improving farm practice and creating an additional income stream from cocoa waste, it raises yields, stabilises livelihoods, and discourages expansion into forests. The model also supports women’s economic empowerment and youth employment in logistics and services, with safeguards to prevent child labour and SEA/SH risks across a multi-tier supply chain.

A bankable pathway to scale

SODEN’s team brings deep biomass expertise from prior landmark projects and is building a national pipeline (>760 MW). With CI2’s reimbursable development finance and DFCD’s origination support, ECOR Divo is positioned to reach financial close with a robust ESG foundation and a replicable farmer-centric supply model.

About SODEN

Société des Énergies Nouvelles (SODEN) is a renewable energy company based in Côte d’Ivoire that develops, finances, and operates sustainable biomass power projects across West Africa. Founded by a team of seasoned engineers and project developers, SODEN transforms agricultural residues—such as cocoa, rubber, and cashew waste—into clean energy, while promoting climate-smart farming, rural job creation, and inclusive economic growth.

About the DFCD

The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) is a climate resilience fund, dedicated to supporting climate adaptation and biodiversity projects which benefit vulnerable communities and landscapes. It is funded by the Dutch government and European Commission, and managed by a pioneering consortium of Climate Fund Managers (CFM), Worldwide Fund for Nature Netherlands (WWF-NL) and SNV, led by the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank, FMO.

About SNV

SNV is a global development partner deeply rooted in the African and Asian countries where we operate. With 60 years of experience and a team of approximately 1,600 people, we strengthen capacities and catalyse partnerships that transform agri-food, energy and water systems. Working on the core themes of gender equality and social inclusion, climate adaptation and mitigation, and strong institutions and effective governance, we tailor our approaches to different contexts to achieve large-scale impact and create sustainable and more equitable lives for all.

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SNV - Dutch Fund for Climate and Development: dfcd@snv.org