BIG LIGHT HAS COME

Monrovia – It was a sunny Thursday, on the outskirt of the capital Monrovia when the Government of President George Manneh Weah officially switched on the CLSG grid and delivered the much-awaited affordable and reliable electricity to the public. The milestone ceremony was held at Mount Coffee with Liberia’s Justice Minister Cllr. Musa Dean performing the task on behalf of the Liberian leader.

By: J. H. Webster Clayeh & Sidiki Trawally

The historic event was graced by an array of Liberian government officials including Ministers of Mines and Energy, Information, and Internal Affairs, acting Chief Executive Officer of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), Monie R. Captan, TRANSCO CLSG’s high-level delegation from Cote d’Ivoire headed by its General Manager Mohammed M. Sherif, member of the national legislature, members of the diplomatic corps including the US and the EU Ambassadors, development partners, representatives of CI Energies, Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC), and other dignitaries.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Captain disclosed that the CLSG connection to the Liberian network will increase LEC’s power generation capacity by 27 Megawatts. He said the power to be added on amounts to about 50% of what Mt. Coffee Hydro currently generates. Mr. Captan said the additional power will help Liberia go a long way in addressing the country’s dry season needs. 

Cote d’Ivoire is not giving us free electricity. The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) we signed requires Liberia to pay for the electricity it receives. Our goal is to work with communities in making this agreement sustainable and successful through legal connections and regular payment of electricity bills.

– Mr. Monie Captan, Acting CEO, Liberia Electricity Corporation

According to him, the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that was signed with Cote d’Ivoire requires Liberia to pay for the electricity it receives. “Our goal is to work with communities in making this agreement sustainable and successful through legal connections and regular payment of electricity bills. Cote d’Ivoire is not giving us free electricity.”

Mr. Captan said the agreements including the Transmission Service Agreement with TRANSCO CLSG, offer a long-term electricity supply arrangement between the parties. He said the agreements are renewable and can ensure the viability of trade on the transmission line between benefitting countries.

The LEC management, he said, is confident that the country is getting closer to its national goal of increasing access to electricity for all Liberians. With the growing demand for electricity, the LEC management is encouraging all its customers currently connected to the national grid, to use electricity efficiently and avoid wasteful consumption.

Mr. Captan said as Liberia prepares to meet its future energy needs, LEC will shortly begin the implementation of a 20-megawatt solar power project and the expansion of the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant by two additional turbines through a partnership between the World Bank and the Government of Liberia. Additionally, the West African Power Pool, the Government of Liberia, and the World Bank are undertaking a feasibility study for the development of a 148MW hydropower plant upstream of the St. Paul River, a press release issued by the LEC said.

The General Manager of TRANSCO CLSG gave an overview of the landmark CLSG project. He disclosed that the interconnection project far advanced with an overall progress rate of 98%. For the specific case of Liberia, the CLSG project involves the construction of five 225 kV substations and approximately 530 km of 225 kV power line running across the country from Man in Cote d’Ivoire to Yekepa in Nimba, through Bong, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Montserrado, Bomi, and Cape Mount Counties, before crossing into neighboring Sierra Leone.

Mr. Sherif said TRANSCO CLSG has completed and energized four out of five substations in Liberia including the Yekepa, (Nimba County), Buchanan (Grand Bassa County), Mt. Coffee (Montserrado County), and Mano (Grand Cape Mount County) substations. The Botota substation in Bong County, he disclosed, is undergoing pre-testing and will be ready for energization shortly.

Mr. Sherif explained that the substations will provide Liberia the opportunity to deliver reliable power supply to communities along the CLSG line and the nearby counties. He said the Yekepa substation has the capacity to transmit electricity to Nimba, and parts of Bong County, the Buchanan substation will transmit electricity to Grand Bassa, Rivercess, parts of Sinoe, and parts of Margibi counties while the Mount Coffee substation has got the capacity to transmit electricity that can light up the entire Montserrado county. 

With this achievement, Liberia now joins Sierra Leone and Guinea to enjoy 24-hour electricity as part of the larger efforts to foster regional integration and boost regional development and improve the economies of the four countries.

 – Mr. Mohammed Sherif, General Manager, TRANSCO CLSG

He furthered that the Mano substation will transmit electricity to Cape Mount, Gbarpolu, and Bomi counties while the Bototasubstation will transmit electricity to central, northern, and eastern parts of Liberia. The Botota substation, he revealed, also has the potential to connect with the future St. Paul River hydroelectricity expansion project that is being prepared by the government of Liberia with the support of the World Bank.

“With this achievement, Liberia now joins Sierra Leone and Guinea to enjoy 24-hour electricity as part of the larger efforts to foster regional integration and boost regional development and improve the economies of the four countries,” Sherif said.

Mr. Sherif explained that by switching on the CLSG light, the people of Liberia are offered hope for a better life, improved health, and quality education, alleviation of poverty, and fostering sustainable socio-economic development. “This is a clear manifestation of the commitment of the CLSG governments and their people to ensure this legacy project is achieved for the benefit of all Liberians and the people of the ECOWAS region,” Sherif said.

He thanked President Weah, the Government, the people of Liberia, the Presidents, and the Governments of Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Guinea for their continuous support and contribution toward the successful delivery of the CLSG interconnection Project. He also thanked the donor partners, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AFDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the KFW (German Development Bank), for their significant roles in mobilizing the required financial and technical resources in making the CLSG Project a reality.

Mr. Sherif paid special tribute to Minister Gesler Murray of Mines and Energy and
Minister Samuel Tweh, Minister of Finance and Development Planning for their leadership role in making the project a success in Liberia. He also lauded other ministries and agencies of government including the Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Mines and Energy, Labor, Gender, and other key stakeholders including traditional leaders, Social Protection, the various superintendents, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Traditional Chiefs, and Elders in our areas of operations, the Project Affected Persons, contractors, and subcontractors for their strong collaboration which enabled TRANSCO CSG to achieve the fundamental objective of the CLSG Project which is to interconnect the power systems of the four CLSG countries and deliver unimpeded and affordable electricity to our people.

For his part, Cllr. Frank Musa Dean acknowledged that the people-center CLSG project is being applauded by all well-meaning citizens, politics aside because it affects lives in a positive way. However, he cautioned Liberians to make sure they pay the electricity bills so that everyone enjoys 24-hour electricity. 

Cllr. Dean added: “Those of us in the community should know that the electricity is not free, so do not go steal it. I know you… The people power they brought here (in Liberia) is not free.” He urged Liberians to take full responsibility and make sure the bills are paid to make LEC viable. “I am not a politician. I am a law enforcement officer, so do not steal the power yaa.”

The Liberian minister warned that those found stealing the electricity will be arrested and prosecuted. He said the law will take its full course to ensure stealing is discouraged. “Today marked a major milestone for Liberia,” he said, adding that the government remains fully committed to actively participating in the West African Power Pool (WAPP) to provide affordable and reliable energy and to ensure Liberia’s economic development.

Minister Dean is optimistic that the TRANSCO CLSG project is going to revolutionize economic development and growth on a scale never imagined in recent decades to bring Liberia once more on the right trajectory as a beacon of hope in the subregion in terms of business. Connecting Liberia to the 225Kv CLSG power line stands to improve people’s access to reliable electricity and spur economic activities in the country as well as ease the dry season energy deficit that the country faces each year. 

Inarguably, the government’s move to join the regional electricity grid is a significant investment that is surely going to not only have great returns in economic growth but improve the standard of living of ordinary Liberians in a significant way as part of the government’s pro-poor agenda, he said.

The CLSG electricity would promote regional trade and is going to boost the health and education sectors of Liberia as health workers would have unhindered access to electricity to respond to emergency cases, while students would study at home under electricity to help improve their performance on exams to the delight of their parents, explained the EU Ambassador……

The CLSG project could not have been possible without the support of international partners, namely, the World Bank, European Investment Bank, African Development Bank, German Development Bank, and other important stakeholders including the four CLSG countries. He said with the LEC connecting to the CLSG line, Liberians must see reasons to minimize the issue of power theft in order to enable LEC to pay for the electricity that has been provided to Liberia.

For the US Ambassador …, he recognized the remarkable roles played by LEC and the government of Liberia for the milestone achievement. “This is an important day in the history of Liberia’s power sector. It has taken hundreds of millions of international donor dollars and years of effort to get Liberia’s power sector ready to be integrated into the West African power network,” Ambassador … said.

“When LEC transitioned to the Liberian leadership, there were those who expressed doubt about the continued progress on key initiatives including CLSG negotiations and power theft, but today, we witnessed the fact that Liberian leadership can succeed.”

Today we stand on the backs of so many who came before us. The people of Japan who paid for the very first generator Bushrod Island, the people of Germany who started the repairs on the mount Coffee hydro plant. This is the achievement of LEC and the government of Liberia. This is an important day, in the history of the Liberian power sector.

– Michael McCarthy, US Ambassador, to Liberia

Ambassador…. said the connection of the CLSG line to the Liberian network was something that many analysts doubted it was possible to be concluded by this dry season, “yet here we stand today because of full-grown Liberian leadership, innovation, and initiative. We are grateful that the long-held goal of the United States, to ensure that the people of Liberia enjoy reliable and affordable electricity is realized. Today moves another step forward to being achieved.”

Ambassador …. said he was especially pleased with the government of Liberia and the LEC bringing to full success the “significant investments the American people and all of our partners from the world have made in this sector.” He lauded LEC and the government of Liberia for the effort in curbing power theft.

Abidjan, CI –President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf along with her counterparts from Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Guinea, will formally break ground for the CLSG interconnection project, slated for Sunday, June 4, 2017, on the sideline of the high-level ECOWAS Heads of State summit in Liberia, on Sunday, June 4, 2017.

His Excellencies Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Alpha Condé, President of the Republic of Guinea will join President Johnson Sirleaf to conduct the historic ceremony in Liberia. The event will be graced by an array of dignitaries including donors of the CLSG project and other stakeholders.

The exciting ground-breaking event will kick-start physical construction activities of the 1,303-km transmission line and substations in the four Mano River Union (MRU) countries that constitute the CLSG (Cote d’Ivoire into Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea).

During a courtesy visit with President Johnson Sirleaf on Thursday, April 6, 2017, the General Manager of TRANSCO CLSG, Mohammed M. Sherif made a formal request for the Liberian leader to conduct the ground-breaking ceremony along with her colleagues, seizing the opportunity of their assembly in Liberia for the summit.

He also provided key progress update on the CLSG Project implementation and other forward-looking activities.

The General Manager assures that the mandate of TRANSCO CLSG will be fulfilled. According to him, there will be a sequential commissioning of the project lots, with the final commissioning expected by December 2019.

Mr. Sherif said the construction of a 1,303-km-long double circuit high voltage (225 kV) line will interconnect the national networks of all four Mano River Union (MRU) countries.

He maintains the CLSG project is aimed at facilitating sustainable energy trade in the MRU through the provision of reliable electric power at competitive cost for millions of residents of the project impact area including communities, schools, health centers, commercial & industrial business, etc.

The CLSG project is the largest power line project in the MRU for the first time. The project is being financed by four donors including the World Bank, African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and KfW, and the governments of Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

An international Treaty was signed in 2014 by the Heads of State of Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to establish a Special Purpose Company called ‘TRANSCO CLSG’ which stands for Transmission Company Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinée.

Monrovia – President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will lead an array of heads of state of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire to officially break ground for the CLSG interconnection project on the sideline of the ECOWAS summit slated for June 4, 2017, in Monrovia, Liberia.

Heads of State of the ECOWAS will convene a high-level summit in Monrovia, Liberia. On the sideline of this Summit, the official Groundbreaking ceremony of the CLSG interconnection project is being organized.

The exciting milestone event will officially begin the physical constriction of the 1,303 km of transmission line and substations from Cote d’Ivoire into Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. 

During a courtesy visit with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Thursday, April 6, 2017, the General Manager of TRANSCO CLSG, Mr. Mohammed Sherif provided progress update on the CLSG Project implementation and other forward-looking activities including the official groundbreaking ceremony of the CLSG project. 

Mr. Sherif informed the Liberian leader that six out of nine EPC contracts for the transmission line and substations have been signed.

He assured the President that the CLSG project is on the right track.

He extolled the unwavering support of the Liberian government towards the effective implementation of the CLSG project.

The General Manager further informed that there will be sequential commissioning of the CLSG project lots, and that the final commissioning is expected by December 2019.

The TRANSCO CLSG General Manager also used the occasion to make a formal request for President Sirleaf to conduct the ground-breaking ceremony, seizing the opportunity of the assembly of her colleagues in Liberia.

In response, President Sirleaf welcomed the TRANSCO CLSG delegation to her office including the Country Manager of Liberia, Jerry T. Taylor and the Communication Officer, Sidiki Trawally.

“The CLSG project is very important and will bring a lot of benefits to our people in the sub-region,” the President declared.

President Sirleaf maintained that the CLSG project will drive a lot of activities under Liberia’s transformation agenda. 

Meanwhile, TRANSCO CLSG is collaborating with the relevant agencies of government to ensure the successful outcome of the groundbreaking ceremony.  

Monrovia – The Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy in efforts to enhance the strength of the Liberia Electricity Cooperation (LEC) has launched a program codename, ‘Growing the National Grid Program’ (GTG).

Report by Edwin G. Genoway, Jr – edwin.genoway@frontpageonline.com

The GTG Program has a total investment of US$550 Million and will enable the electrification of 164, 000 homes for 830,000 people and the addition of 100 MW of renewable based generation to the National Grid.

The GTG Program investment will occur mostly in Phase 2 and 3 where most clients will be connected. Currently, except for generation, most of Phase 1 is funded with total secured funding estimated to be US$550 Million in several on-going projects, notably the Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone & Guinea Interconnection project (CLSG) related electrification and grid extension around Monrovia.

During the launch of the Ministry’s rural energy Strategy and Master Plan in Monrovia, the Ministry disclosed that the GTG Program is composed of four main initiatives.

Speaking at the launch of the master plan, the Director of Rural and Renewable Energy Agency (RREA), Augustus Goanue said in line with the Sustainable Energy for All initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals, Liberia aims to achieve the Electrification rate for the population outside of Monrovia of 10% in 2020, 20% in 2025 and 35% in 2030.

“We intend to electrify outside of Monrovia more than 65, 000 customers already by 2020, 140, 000 by 2025 and 265, 000 by 2035.”

“Electrify at least 2, 000 settlements with grid infra-structure (national, decentralized or mini grids) connecting at least 50% of those settlement’s population by 2030,” he noted.

He said Phase one of the program is the Monrovia corridors electrification initiative, the objective of this initiative is to promote the extension of Monrovia’s existing network to the West, North and East of the Capital.

According to him six projects are to be implemented regarding the transmission network and major cities electrification, as well as rural distribution, in the three mentioned regions.

Phase two of the project is Gbarnga corridors electrification initiative, the objective of this Initiative the ministry says is to promote the extension of the national network from the future substation of Gbarnga, which due to its location presents a strategic point for the future grid expansion.

It is located near a proposed future switching station of the CLSG and can allow the extension of the grid to support the densification of distribution in Nimba County and, in the long term, the interconnection of the Lofa and Zwedru Decentralized grids to the National Grid.

Goanue noted that the CLSG electrification initiative is to promote the extension of the national network from the future substations of the CLSG system, and from the power line itself, since it is planned for distribution through its shield wires.

He said four projects are to be implemented, mainly regarding client connection and rural grid extension in the counties of Nimba, Bong, Grand Bassa and Grand Cape Mount.

He furthered that GTG phase four objectives is to launch the procurement of renewable on-grid generation based on solar, biomass or mini-hydro.

Also speaking at the program, the European Union Chargé d’Affaires, Mrs. Emma Sundblad, particularly welcomed the definition of clear, quantifiable targets in three key areas: Energy Access; Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency.

She also congratulated the RREA on the identification of concrete programs and projects to be implemented under a comprehensive framework and praised the Government of Liberia for prioritizing access to energy for all parts of Liberia.

Mrs. Sundblad said – “The Master Plan constitutes an excellent opportunity for donors to organize and fund projects according to a common framework, avoiding scattered initiatives with limited impact.

The European Union will be working with the Government of Liberia to identify how we can use our own funding for energy infrastructure to support this Energy Strategy.”

Development of the Rural and Renewable Energy Strategy and Master Plan was funded under the European Union and World Bank project for Support to the Rural and Renewable Energy Agency.

She disclosed that under the European Union’s National Indicative Programme (NIP) for 2014-2020, a total of EUR 100 million (approximately US$113 million) has been allocated for projects and programs in the energy sector, with rural electrification as one of the priorities for the EUR 45 million (approximately US$50 million) yet to be committed to specific projects.

She noted that all County capitals will be already electrified before 2025,” Electrification of County Capitals either through the National Grid, Decentralized Grids or Transitional Mini-Grids will be a priority of the Government,

All Health facilities and Secondary schools electrified already before 2025, we intend to bring electricity to all health facilities and all secondary schools in Liberia either through grid-based electrification or through 100% solar based individual solutions,” she noted.