AfDB Backs West African Interconnection Project with $194 Million

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--An electricity network interconnection project to be developed under the West African Power Pool (WAPP) master plan will bring massive social and commercial benefits to the inhabitants of Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea (CLSG).

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved $194 million in funding for the CLSG networks interconnection project, scheduled for implementation between 2014 and 2017. The project will include a 1,400-kilometer, high-voltage line, which will secure the power supply for the four countries.

The project funding will be provided by the AfDB, Fragile States Facility and Nigeria Trust Fund, which is about 40% of the total project cost.

The project is a WAPP priority and is expected to increase the average rate of access to electricity in the countries from 28% to 33%. It will bring electricity to 70 schools, 30 health centers and 1,500 small commercial and industrial craft enterprises through the transmission line.

The interconnector could promote power trading among countries in the West African market and utilize the massive hydropower potential of the region.

CLSG faces challenges from low access to electricity, basic power supply problems, reliance on thermal power, and the ability of national power utilities to deliver results.

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