Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire – The Management of TRANSCO CLSG, a regional transmission company responsible for the transmission of affordable and reliable electricity to millions of citizens in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea is holding a high-level Donors’ Coordination meeting in Monrovia, Liberia to discuss the progress and challenges in the implementation of the CLSG project.

The annual meeting is being organized within the framework of the implementation of the CLSG interconnection project, to provide updates to stakeholders.

The meeting runs from Wednesday, May 31, 2017 to Thursday, June 1, 2017 at the Cape Hotel, Mamba Point.

Mr. Mohammed M. Sherif, the General Manager of TRANSCO CLSG and senior staff of the Company have arrived in Monrovia for the meeting.

The World Bank (WB), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the German Development Bank (KfW) are among the key stakeholders attending the meeting.

At the opening ceremony, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of TRANSCO CLSG, Amidou Traore will make welcome remarks to be followed by remarks by representatives of the Donors.

Liberia’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr. Boima Kamara is expected to make remarks.

The Minister of Finance of Liberia will also make remarks.

There will be presentation and discussion on the project progress status including the Project implementation progress, Status of the procurement activities, Contract effectiveness and mobilization of EPC contractors and Project change of scope.

There will also be Presentation and discussion on the issue of the 5th substation in Liberia.

The procurement processes, the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) and the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP), Project cost and financing, coordination strategy will be highlights of the meeting.

TRANSCO CLSG was created to carry out the CLSG interconnection project as reflected in the model agreed upon by the four Member States; that is to finance, construct, own, operate, develop and maintain an interconnection line between Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

This project aims at promoting a regional energy market and optimizes the use of energy resources in West Africa.

It is one of the five priority projects of the West African Power Pool Master Plan that aims to build a 225kV high voltage line, long of 1,303 km to connect the electrical networks of the 4 countries.

The CLSG project is being financed by donors including the World Bank, African Development Bank, European Investment Bank and the German Development Bank (KfW) through loans and grants.

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire –  The Management of TRANSCO CLSG along with its Owner’s Engineer (TRACTABEL Belgium) is holding a two-day project kick off meetings with the EPC contractor, JV Sieyuan/Northeast China International Electric Power Corporation (NEIE), for Lot 1 sub stations in Kenema, Bikongor and Bumbuna in Sierra Leone.

The meeting began on Monday, April 24, 2017 with the, in Abidjan.

The Lot 1 substation segment is being funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The kickoff meeting will discuss the overview of the CLSG interconnection project including its scope and implementation plan.

During the meetings, TRANSCO CLSG will also discuss key challenges and the strategy to address those issues with the EPC contractors.

The meeting will also review the risks and other mitigation measures for effective project implementation.

Also on the agenda for discussion are the plan for mobilization and deployment of staff, communication plan between TRANSCO CLSG and the EPC contractor, Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) data consolidation and the preparation of the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) construction. Other critical success factors are also high on the agenda.

In his opening remarks, the Director of the Project Implementation Unit of TRANSCO CLSG, Mr. Etienne Bailly, challenged the contractors to ensure they produce quality work that is compliance with international standards.

He said the expectation of the CLSG countries is so high that there is no option for delay.

“There is no option for low quality work. We demand quality work.”

“We expect you to act as professionals and deliver quality work by respecting the technology, the guidelines, and everything that will make the CLSG project a success story.

This is a very complex, but exciting project that we are going to implement together.”

TRANSCO CLSG, the regional transmission company, in collaboration with authorities in Sierra Leone and Liberia has begun activities marking the official launch of Local Committee and information and sensitization campaign for the implementation of the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) and the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) in these countries.

Local committees include representatives of various sector ministries and agencies that are involved in the implementation of the CLSG interconnection project at the local level including project affected persons, local leaders, women and youth representatives. The Committee represents the National Monitoring Committee in those project affected areas.

The local committee is mandated to reach out and work with TRANSCO CLSG to ensure the effective implementation of the ESMP and RAP through holding meetings on local matters and make report to the National Committees.

The Committee is also mandated to promote the involvement of local stakeholders in the implementation of the project taking into account the concerns of people affected by the project. The role of the committee is very crucial in the overall sensitization campaign of the CLSG project.

Each local committee has its terms of reference which set out its responsibilities. The setting up of these local committees in each CLSG is part of TRANSCO CLSG’s commitment to be transparent in the implementation of RAP and the ESMP, says General Manager, Mohammed Sherif.

The Environmental Coordinator of TRANSCO CLSG, Pakidame Kolani is leading the process. The inauguration of the local committee in Sierra Leone will be held in Kenema on Thursday, May 19, 2016, to be followed by the launch of the information and sensitization in Tiloma village, Kenema District.

Mr. Kolani will then travel to Liberia where he will conduct similar activities in the port city of Buchanan on Thursday, May 26, 2016 and launch information and sensitization activity in Doewin Village on Friday, May 27, 2016

Abidjan – TRANSCO CLSG is making a strong push to consolidate electricity amongst four West African nations – Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea by 2018. Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States met a decade ago and agreed to develop a regional electricity market. The plan is making inroads, according to Etienne Bailly, project director at Transco CLSG. “What we are anticipating is that by June of this year we will have the contractors on board and by 2018 we will commission the line.”

He said TRANSCO CLSG, the regional transmission company that is leading the multi-million donor funded power project plans to do a sequential commissioning. “This means that we are not waiting for all the lines to be completed before we energize. For example, he said the transmission line from Yekepa to Buchanan, when completed would be energized.

There is also a rural electrification component of the project for people in the rural areas including villages and towns to receive electricity. “We are pushing for 2017 to realize that.” Bailly says as soon as the bidding process is concluded, contractors would be hired to immediately begin construction activities in the CLSG countries.

Electricity has been a major hindrance to development in West Africa and many see the emergence and consolidation of resources among Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea that could mark the start of a rapid transformation of the economies in those countries as West Africa’s regional body pools resources to establish an electricity market that will end the blackouts, which have blighted its 15 member states for decades.

TRANSCO CLSG was set up by West African Power Pool (WAPP) to develop a 1,303 km (807 miles) interconnection line from Côte d’Ivoire to Liberia linking Sierra Leone and Guinea.

A master plan to address the energy deficit in the post-conflict countries was put together with the aim to create a regional electricity market. The region currently produced 10,000 megawatts of electricity and had 4,000 km of transmission lines, but needs 26,000 megawatts of generation capacity and 16,000 km of connection lines to plug the power deficit.

Recently, the TRANSCO CLSG management launched bids for the transmission line under the World Bank and European Investment Bank Package, following which a team of TRANSCO CLSG staff accompanied pre-qualified international contractors on a site visits to the various transmission line project sites in Liberia and Sierra Leone respectively.

The initial site visits to Liberia took the team to Yekepa, Buchanan and Mano, while in Sierra Leone, the team visited Bikongor, Bumbuna and Yiben.

Detail of areas visited:

EPC-TL-WB/EIB-04 – Lot 1: 225 KV TL Yekepa (L) – Buchanan (L) (229 km, financed by WB); EPC-TL-WB/EIB-04 – Lot 2: 225 KV TL Buchanan (L) – Monrovia (L) – Mano (L) (219 km, financed by WB); EPC-TL-WB/EIB-04 – Lot 3: 225 KV TL Mano (L) – Kenema (SL) – Bikongor (SL) (211 km, financed by EIB); EPC-TL-WB/EIB-04 – Lot 4: 225 KV TL Bikongor (SL)-Bumbuna (SL)-Yiben (SL) (219 km, financed by EIB).

The missions were conducted simultaneously by two teams – one to Liberia headed by the Director of the Project Implementation Unit, Mr. Etienne Baily, and another team to Sierra Leone headed by the Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. Jigba Yilla. Similar visitations to Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire are being planned. Prior to the site assessment tours, TRANSCO CLSG held a crucial pre-bid meeting with company (ies) that have already acquired the tender documents at the TRANSCO CLSG headquarters in Abidjan.

The TRANSCO CLSG team along with pre-qualified contractors toured several corridors already marked for the construction of transmission lines and sub stations. Mr. Mohammed Sherif, the General Manager of TRANSCO CSLG said, he has been impressed with the progress so far. “We have moved significantly with the project. The last time we spoke we were in the process of prequalification – to prequalify contractors and commence actual work with transmission lines, sub-stations. We are now in the process of hiring the engineers that will be responsible for the supervision of the construction.”

According to Sherif, the World Bank and the African Development Bank have provided no objection to make sure the project goes into full gear.” According to him, contractors who are supposed to build the transmission line in Liberia and Sierra Leone have been prequalified. Out of fifteen, he said, nine firms were selected for the transmission line project in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Added Sherif: “It is the same for the sub-stations. We have pre-qualified contractors for the sub-stations in Sierra Leone and Liberia. He said meetings between TRANSCO CSLG and the Liberia Electricity Corporation, have been productive and both parties are on the same page. The meeting, he said was intended to move the process forward, to coordinate and to see how best LEC and TRANSCO CLSG plans can be integrated.

Sherif says the CLSG project will build four substations (possibility of fifth substation) in Liberia with one situated at Mount Coffee. According to him, the technicians who visited the corridors assessed the challenges and are fully aware of the terrains. Fortunately, from the feedback “we are getting, the technicians have found this visit fruitful.” He said the contractors are confident that they would handle those challenges in the project implementation.

“There aren’t too many rivers, just mere bushes that can be easily brushed. Fortunately for Liberia, most of the places our transmission lines will pass, largely affects rubber trees along the track toward Firestone where we will be doing most of the work. Of course coming toward Kakata there will be people who will be affected; but around Ganta, there will be about 112 households that will be affected. So it is a good news for the project. Contractors are appreciative of what they saw.”

Sherif disclosed that the issue of the Ebola remains a major concern for the contractors, but that TRANSCO CLSG is making sure contractors concerns are addressed properly in order to ally their fears.

Liberia has been declared Ebola free by the World Health Organization. However, some of the contractors raised the issue of fear for their security. “We are making sure our contractors safety remains a top priority while they do their work.” Sherif assured.

Reporting: Rodney D. Sieh, rodney.sieh@frontpageafricaonline.com