Sierra Leone’s first utility-scale PV project moves forward

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Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Energy has signed an implementation agreement with Infinity -E Consortium for the construction of a 6 MW solar power plant in Freetown, the country’s capital and largest city.

The $12.6 million project is being financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) with $9 million, and the Sierra Leone government with €3.6 million. Minister of Energy Henry Macauley said he had gone through several battles with donor partners towards ensuring that light becomes available to the people of Sierra Leone.

According to the government of Sierra Leone, Infinity – E Consortium is expected to complete the project by the end of this year. The ministry added that the Newton municipality will be considered for power supply after the completion of the project.

The 6 MW solar project in Freetown has been on hold since the summer of 2014, when the government of Sierra Leone first announced its plan to build the PV park.

Relatively small on a global scale, a 6 MW solar park in Freetown is a significant landmark in the development of the solar PV sector in the country. Currently, Sierra Leone's total power generation capacity does not exceed 100 MW. Due to its limited transmission and distribution network, the country has an electrification rate of just 5%.

Sierra Leone has a solar radiation of 1,400 – 1,800 kWh per square meter per year.

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