[SMM PV News] Côte d’Ivoire Issues First Green Bond; SA's 148 MW Project Online

On May 25, international oil prices dropped sharply while precious metals rose sharply. Spot gold broke through $4,570/oz, up more than 1% intraday. Spot silver touched $78/oz, up more than 4%. Since 2026, the silver market has experienced a "roller coaster" trend: after surging to historic highs at the beginning of the year, it pulled back significantly and has since stayed high with wild swings. As the largest industrial demand sector for silver, PV has seen rising penetration rates of high-efficiency cells (TOPCon/HJT/BC) drive up per-unit silver consumption, and the surge in silver prices has become a core cost pressure for PV modules.

On May 25, the National Energy Administration released national power statistics for January-April. As of the end of April, the national cumulative installed power generation capacity reached 3.99 billion kW, up 14.2% YoY. Of this, solar power installed capacity was 1.25 billion kW, up 26.2% YoY; wind power installed capacity was 660 million kW, up 22.0% YoY. In April, new solar power installations were 9.52 million kW, down 78.95% YoY and up 6.85% MoM.

San Marino’s public utility AASS has launched a call for expressions of interest to acquire companies holding ground-mounted PV assets in San Marino or Italy, aiming to improve energy security and reduce reliance on imported electricity. Eligible projects may be operating, under construction or ready to build, but must be commissioned by Dec. 31, 2026, with a maximum value of EUR 15 million per project. Battery storage can be included, but standalone storage projects are not eligible. SMM believes the move reflects growing efforts by smaller European economies to use domestic and cross-border renewable investments to strengthen energy security and long-term power price stability.