Scheduled to be implemented between 2014 and 2017, the project seeks construction of a 1,400km high voltage line to enable secure power supply for the four Mano River Union (MRU) member countries.
Specifically, the project will involve construction of 11 sub-stations and two regional control centers, and will enable Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to import electricity from Cote d’Ivoire in its first phase.
Provided by the African Development Fund, Fragile States Facility and Nigeria Trust Fund, the funding represents roughly 40% of the total project cost.
Representing one of the priority projects of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) master plan, the CLSG project is expected to increase the average rate of access to electricity in MRU countries from 28% to 33%, electrify 125 locations, 70 schools, 30 health centers and 1,500 small commercial and industrial craft enterprises, along the transmission line.
Additionally, the construction of the power line is believed to offer the possibility of electric power trade between the countries within the larger West African market, thereby fostering the development of the huge hydroelectric potential of the sub-region.
The MRU countries’ electricity sector faces major constraints, such as low access to electricity, structural deficit in the supply of electricity, preponderance of thermal generation in the energy mix, and low financial and institutional capacities of national electricity companies.
