By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay has completed a tour around power stations across the country. The minister visited sites in the North, East and Southern part of the country.
Sesay’s visit was to inspect power stations that have been under construction through the West Africa Power Pool Project (WAPP). The WAPP project will take electricity from the Cote D’Ivoire through Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Known as the CLSG project, it is implemented by TRANSCO Company.
The aim of the project is to provide these Mano River Union states affordable, clean, steady and sustainable electricity supply.
When completed, the project will generate enough electricity to supply Sierra Leone.
“I’m here to monitor and to encourage contractors of the substations for us to meet the deadline of for the WAPP power,” Sesay said.
TRANSCO Country Manager, Ing. Paul Saffa and team alongside the contractors led conducted tours in each substation and tower sites visited.
Saffa used the ministers visit to urge residents who have already received compensation for the work, not to slowdown the progress of the project.
He said the rural electrification component of the project will see 39 communities along the supply line benefit immediately from the project.
The Minister’s visit coincides with erratic power supply in the capital, Freetown. 75% of the population in Sierra Leone are either not connected to the main grid or have no access to electricity.
The problem is worse in rural areas.
Sesay said to make up for the huge deficit of electricity supply, the first phase of WAPP power will go districts like Bo, Kenema and Kono.
He said 27MW will be distributed to these three districts by July this year.
Construction of five substation in Sierra Leone have been ongoing since last year. Sesay three of the five are almost ready to distribute power supply.
One of the substations in the Southern district of Pujehun will take power from neighboring Liberia and pass it through Zimmi town, Go For village to the Eastern districts of Kenema, Kono. It will then be passed on to the Northern districts of Tonkolili, Koinadugu, Karene and later to neighboring Guinea.s
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