𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐓𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝟏𝟒𝟖 𝐌𝐖 𝐎𝐟 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 …𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay, has said that the final technical, legal and procedural niceties required for the commencement of the Western Area Power Generation Project (WAPP) had now been concluded.
Mr. Sesay was speaking at the signing ceremony of the Addendum to the Power Purchase Agreement where he noted that the Western Area Power Generation Project intends to provide a land-based solution to the energy situation in Freetown by contributing some 148MW of electricity to the Western Area grid.
He said the First Phase of the project when completed would provide an initial 103MW, adding that the project, which would be implemented in Eastern Freetown, would positively impact industries and households, and by extension, increase access to electricity.
The Minister of Energy went on to say that Cabinet and Parliament had both approved the project in 2021, noting however that the Russia-Ukraine war had given cause to parties to review the Power Purchase Agreement.
Mr. Sesay concluded by saying that with the careful review and signing of the addendum to the Power Purchase Agreement, he was hopeful that the contractors would soon spring into action.
Director of CEC Africa Sierra Leone Generation, the company that owns the WAPP, Karim Nasser said the project would be the largest Independent Power Producer (IPP) in the country, adding that the project was supported by a number of international financial and development institutions including the United States Development Bank and the ECOWAS Development Bank.
He said the project, once completed, would address the reliability shortcomings and the poor quality of electricity that the East end part of the Western Area had had to grapple with.
He noted that his company’s banks were getting ready to unlock the funding package of about US$320 million, adding that the project is expected to commence in November. “There are high hopes that it would be commissioned within the shortest possible time,” he concluded.
Austine Luseni
Communications Specialist
Ministry of Energy