Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project

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The development objective of the Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project for Western and Central Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Chad, Togo is to rapidly increase grid-connected renewable energy capacity and strengthen regional integration in the participating countries. The project comprises of four components. The first component, construction of solar photovoltaic (PV), battery energy storage system (BESS) and grid connections will finance all costs associated with the design, supply, and installation (DSI) and operation and maintenance (O and M) for the one to four years of the solar PV power plants and any associated works for grid connection. It consists of following sub-components: (i) construction of 20MWp/16 megawatt, alternating current (MWac) solar PV power plant on Mount Coffee Island in Liberia; (ii) solar PV and battery storage at two locations in Sierra Leone; and (iii) solar PV and battery storage in Chad. The second component, expansion of Mt. Coffee hydro power plant and dam safety enhancement consists of following sub-components: (i) expansion of Mt. Coffee hydro power plant with the installation two new turbines; and (ii) dam safety enhancement for Mount Coffee hydro power plant. The third component, distribution expansion and transmission optimization will finance the expansion of distribution networks and optimization of transmission in Sierra Leone and Togo to help the newly installed capacity to be connected to regional interconnectors and or reach national populations. It consists of following sub-components: (i) supply and installation of voltage regulation equipment at 161/11kV substation of free town to increase the evacuation capacity of the 161kV transmission line and supply and installation of 33 kV and 11 kV distribution lines to optimize the integration of the Newton solar park in Sierra Leone; and (ii) support extension and densification of distribution grid in Togo with climate resilient grid infrastructure. The fourth component, regional coordination, institutional strengthening, and implementation support consists of following sub-components: (i) regional integration and technical assistance (RITA) to West African power pool (WAPP); (ii) regional coordination and institutional strengthening; (iii) implementation support to national project implementation unit (PIUs); and (iv) technical assistance for establishment of river basin management agency and preparation of new hydro projects in Liberia.