SL: Western Area Power Generation Project

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The development objective of Western Area Power Generation Project for Sierra Leone is to increase the power generated by independent power producers and to mobilize private capital. The project is a key component of the Government of Sierra Leone’s (GoSL) recovery plan to help support economic growth post-Ebola and create jobs by providing reliable electricity services to the Freetown Capital Western Area. The project is responding to an urgent need for additional generation capacity in Sierra Leone and is the most advanced power generation project currently under development in the country. The project comprises the development, financing, construction and operation by CECA SL Generation Limited (CECA SL) of a 57 Megawatt (MW) green-field thermal power plant running on heavy fuel oil (HFO) on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. CECA SL, the Project Company, was established in Sierra Leone by private sponsors comprising CEC Africa Investments Ltd (CEC Africa, 50.1 percent equity) and Tempus Constant Qualitas Power Ltd (TCQ, 49.9 percent equity) through CEC Africa (Sierra Leone) Limited. The combined World Bank Group (WBG) support for the project will leverage 138 million US dollars in investments into the power sector in Sierra Leone, and serve as an important signal for investment opportunities at a time when the country is in a fragile recovery from Ebola.