ENERTEC wins lots 2 and 3 of the NEDA project: a new milestone for MV network telecontrol in Côte d'Ivoire

The award of NEDA lots 2 and 3 to ENERTEC marks a major milestone in the company's development and confirms the strength of its MV network telecontrol expertise. This contract, structuring for the modernization of the Ivorian power grid, is funded by the World Bank via the IDA and the State of Côte d'Ivoire, under the project ownership of CI-ENERGIES.

NEDA: a flagship program for the Ivorian electricity sector

The NEDA project - National Digitization and Electricity Access Operation - is one of the most ambitious operations ever launched in Côte d'Ivoire's energy sector. Approved by the World Bank in December 2022 as a Program for Results (PforR), it represents a total financial commitment of approximately 264.3 billion FCFA, of which 198 billion FCFA contributed by the IDA and 66.3 billion FCFA by the Ivorian State.

At the heart of the program: extending electricity access to populations in the North and West of the country, two historically underserved regions, and deeply modernizing distribution network infrastructure. The program is part of the National Development Plan 2021-2025 and complements two existing initiatives: the Electricity for All Program (PEPT) and the National Network Extension Program (PRONEX).

Lots 2 and 3: MV network telecontrol at the heart of the award

Lots 2 and 3 of the NEDA project cover services that constitute the historical core of ENERTEC's business: telecontrol of medium-voltage (MV) networks (15–33 kV), deployment of smart equipment on distribution substations, and commissioning of interoperable communication chains to regional control centers.

Specifically, ENERTEC's intervention on these two lots encompasses:

• MV substation equipment with RTUs (Remote Terminal Units), current and voltage sensors, intelligent electronic devices (IED) and digital protection automation
• Implementation of communication protocols compliant with international standards IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850, ensuring interoperability with existing equipment and system scalability
• Integration with regional control centers under construction as part of the program, including SCADA database configuration, operator screen setup and end-to-end testing
• Reinforcement and security of source substations including MV switchgear modernization and measurement chain reliability improvements
• Training and skills transfer to local operations teams, to ensure operational autonomy after installation acceptance

Why ENERTEC? Expertise forged through ENERGOS

The award of these structuring lots is no coincidence. It builds on a decade of concrete achievements in MV network telecontrol in Côte d'Ivoire, and in particular on the ENERGOS project, in which ENERTEC led the deployment of 247 remotely controlled MV substations on the Abidjan distribution network between 2020 and 2022. This project, unprecedented in scale in the history of the Ivorian electricity sector, validated the company's methods, tools and skills at large scale.

Lessons learned from ENERGOS - architectural choices, field constraint management in dense urban environments, communication chain qualification - directly feed into the design and execution of the NEDA lots. ENERTEC brings to the project:

• A proven mastery of the IEC 60870-5-104 protocol, successfully deployed across all ENERGOS substations
• A demonstrated execution capability on multi-substation projects with high operational stakes, meeting contractual deadlines
• An in-depth knowledge of the Ivorian grid, Sahelian and Sudanian climate constraints, and CI-ENERGIES and CIE operating standards
• A team of local engineers and technicians trained on SCADA tools from leading manufacturers (Schneider Electric, Siemens, ABB, General Electric)
• A quality system compliant with international donor requirements, with HSE procedures, document traceability and progress reporting adapted to World Bank standards

A high-impact project for northern and western Côte d'Ivoire

Beyond technical performance, the NEDA program pursues an objective of economic and social transformation. Hundreds of thousands of households, small businesses, schools and health centers are to be connected or benefit from improved service quality. Telecontrol, by reducing the average interruption duration during incidents, plays a key role in this objective: a real-time supervised network recovers faster than one operated blind.

The program also provides for the deployment of 184 km of fiber optic cables crossing the northern part of the country, from Ferkéssedougou to Odiénné. This digital backbone serves as the physical medium for telecontrol links and constitutes a structuring asset for the digital transformation of the Ivorian electricity sector.

A strategic milestone for ENERTEC

For ENERTEC, this contract represents much more than a deal: it is the official recognition, by CI-ENERGIES and international donors, of the company's positioning as a reference player in MV network telecontrol in West Africa. It consolidates the ENERGOS achievements, accelerates the company's growth trajectory, and confirms the relevance of its model: cutting-edge technical expertise, locally rooted, serving the modernization of the Ivorian power grid.

The ENERTEC team wishes to thank CI-ENERGIES, project owner, as well as the World Bank and the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy for the trust placed in us. Our teams are already mobilized to ensure the start-up and smooth execution of the works, in compliance with the program's deadlines, budget and quality requirements.

Go further

• Our expertise in MV network telecontrol - SCADA architecture, RTU, IEC protocols
• ENERGOS project feedback - 247 remotely controlled substations in Abidjan
• SCADA challenges in West Africa
• Our technology partners - Schneider Electric, ABB, Siemens, General Electric
• Talk to our teams about a telecontrol or MV network project