Upon returning from his European tour, Colonel Michaël Randrianirina announced the relaunch of the Volobe hydroelectric power plant project. The State intends to acquire a stake in this major project, while the issue of the price per kilowatt-hour has reportedly been resolved.
“We are going to relaunch the Volobe project,” was one of the key announcements made by the Head of State, Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, upon his return from Europe on Friday night. According to his explanations, the construction of this dam and its hydroelectric plant was a central topic during his discussions abroad. During his meeting with Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, the French President committed to supporting Madagascar’s advocacy with the European Union (EU) to secure funding via the Green Climate Fund. Similarly, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever pledged Belgium’s support for the project.
The President clarified that the executive branch intends to mobilize grants from this UN mechanism, created in 2010 to help developing countries promote a low-carbon economy, to finance its equity participation. Colonel Randrianirina also stated that the World Bank has expressed its willingness to financially support the State’s entry into the infrastructure’s capital.
The project, officially named Volobe II, dates back to 2016. The initial agreements were signed between the State and the Compagnie Générale d’Hydroélectricité de Volobe (CGHV). The ambition is to build a site with an estimated capacity of 120 megawatts (MW) on the Ivondro River in the Atsinanana region. However, due to stalled negotiations and the withdrawal of some consortium members, the project has struggled to take off for a decade.
Electricity tariffs have long been the main stumbling block. CGHV demanded 17 cents per kilowatt-hour, while the State aimed for 9 cents. Although the concession duration was set at twenty-five years in a 2023 contract, financial closure remains pending. With the recent presidential declarations, a compromise seems to have been reached to mobilize the necessary funds, which would allow for a reduction in the tariff initially proposed by the operator.
With its announced 120 MW, the future plant is expected to supply the Interconnected Networks of Antananarivo (RIA) and Toamasina. As the Head of State emphasized, “In terms of energy, we have only been patching holes until now.” Volobe is thus presented as the sustainable solution to the national energy crisis.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-14 06:08:35 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/09/projet-energetique-le-barrage-de-volobe.html
