(Business in Cameroon) - Set up in Cameroon a thermal plant producing electrical energy through the combustion of cocoa pods. This is the ambition of the company Energy Biomass Sourcing (EBS), who thus plans to contribute to the diversification of the energy mix in the country, particularly by developing projects in the biomass sector.

To achieve it, this French company specialised in “studies, project development and implementation of biomass supply solutions for thermal, electrical plants as well as the logging industry”, contacted with the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Cacao et du Café (Cocoa and Coffee Board). “Experts from this firm recently visited Cameroon to prospect, to ensure that there was a critical mass of cocoa pods available on the ground to effectively produce electrical energy”, explains a source within the Cocoa-Coffee Council.

After ground visits, in particular in the Lékié district, the most important cocoa production area in the country, and in the South-Western region; experts from the company Energy Biomass Sourcing reached sufficient conclusions. “They were convinced that in theory it is possible to carry out such a project in Cameroon. We are now waiting for the next steps”, confided an authorised source.

This project should transform the entire ecosystem of the cocoa production in Cameroon, which is still limited to the production and marketing of cocoa beans, the latter representing only about 40% of the pod. Indeed, with the installation of thermal plants working cocoa pods, producers would be able to substantially increase their revenues by not only selling the beans as per usual, but also the pods which are generally left unused.

Brice R. Mbodiam