Abidjan — Since TRANSCO CLSG commenced commercial operations in 2021, the CLSG interconnection line has faced under-utilization, operating at only 25% of its 220MW capacity. In response, the management of TRANSCO CLSG is actively working to address these challenges and enhance the company's operational viability.
In July 2024, TRANSCO CLSG conducted an exploratory mission to Ghana to explore alternative power supply options for the CLSG line. Consultations with the Energy Company of Ghana (ECG), which manages a pool of independent power producers, revealed that 100MW of capacity is available to supply the CLSG regional power network. A dedicated thermal plant has been identified to support this operation.
At the July 2024 Board Meeting, TRANSCO CLSG informed its national utility partners of the mission's findings and the opportunity to import power from Ghana. The Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) expressed firm interest in this opportunity and promptly dispatched a mission to Ghana to secure additional energy supplies for the upcoming dry season in Liberia.
To operationalize this process, LEC requested that TRANSCO CLSG facilitate a coordination meeting with key stakeholders, including LEC, VRA, GRIDCo, CI-ENERGIES, and WAPP-ICC. In response, TRANSCO CLSG organized a high-level meeting in Abidjan on Thursday, October 3, 2024. Chaired by TRANSCO CLSG's General Manager, Mohammed M. Sherif, the meeting aimed to establish the technical and commercial frameworks for wheeling 50MW of power from Ghana to Liberia.
During the meeting, all parties reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring a steady power supply from Ghana to Liberia, helping LEC mitigate its dry season energy shortages.
In his remarks, Mr. Sherif emphasized the significance of the meeting as a critical step towards facilitating energy exports from Ghana to LEC. He called for collective commitment from all stakeholders to ensure the delivery of reliable and affordable electricity across the CLSG network and beyond. Mr. Sherif also acknowledged the key role of the World Bank, whose financial and technical support has been instrumental in advancing the CLSG project.
"The World Bank's contributions, as one of the main financiers of the CLSG project, have laid the foundation for a reliable and secure energy trade," Mr. Sherif stated. He expressed confidence in the readiness of TRANSCO CLSG, GRIDCo, and CI ENERGIES to coordinate power transmission across borders, further optimizing the CLSG line for greater efficiency. "This collaboration highlights the importance of regional partnerships in addressing the growing energy needs of our countries."
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Mr. Monie R. Captan, CEO of LEC, acknowledged the existing challenges and emphasized the critical role of TRANSCO CLSG and CI Energies in ensuring seamless power supply to Liberia. "Success depends on the collaboration of all key stakeholders," Mr. Captan remarked. He also highlighted LEC's ongoing efforts to reduce commercial losses, improve distribution reliability, and expand generation capacity, including enhancing the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant and launching new projects like solar energy and the SP2 power plant.
Mr. Captan noted that utilizing the CLSG transmission network is essential for resolving LEC's current challenges. "The operation of the CLSG line is crucial, as it ensures that the network can sustain itself and relieves the burden on national budgets," he stressed, urging all parties to form a synergy to deliver reliable and affordable electricity across Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
In a related development, on Friday, October 4, 2024, TRANSCO CLSG hosted another high-level meeting with representatives from national utilities of the CLSG countries and WAPP to finalize amendments to the Transmission Service Agreements (TSAs), which are set to expire on December 31, 2024. The meeting also focused on the commercial arrangements for injecting power from Guinea's EDG into the CLSG line.
