ABIDJAN, March 9 -- The largest hydroelectric power station in Cote d'Ivoire that is being constructed by China in the country's southwest region of Soubre will be completed in 2017, a year earlier than the 2018 deadline.

The information was revealed over the weekend by Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan during a visit to the construction site to assess the progress of the construction, which officially began on Feb. 25, 2013.

"I can say without any doubt, considering the rate of progress which now stands at 72 percent, that this work will be completed," Duncan said, according to a statement released Tuesday.

While hailing the speed with which the construction work is being undertaken, the prime minister noted that the completed work will be handed over to Cote d'Ivoire authorities ahead of schedule.

The Soubre hydroelectric power station, which will sit on a dam measuring 4.5 km, will be the largest power producer in the sub-region, with capacity to produce 275 MW.

Its construction will cost a total of 572 million U.S. dollars, with China providing 85 percent of the amount and Cote d'Ivoire contributing the rest.

Currently, Cote d'Ivoire produces 1,975 MW of energy, with 72.5 percent of this generated by four thermal stations and 27.5 percent by six hydraulic stations.

Part of the electricity produced in Cote d'Ivoire is supplied to Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.