Monrovia — The 225kv transmission line from Man in Cote d’Ivoire into Monrovia has been constructed and energized, the General Manager of TRANSCO CLSG, Mohammed Mulibah Sherif has disclosed. He added that three out of five substations in Liberia, including Yekepa, Buchanan and Mount Coffee substations have been completed and fully energized by TRANSCO CLSG.
In his official statement presented at the 25th Board of Directors meeting in Abidjan on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, Mr. Sherif said the Man substation, which is the main source of the electricity through the CLSG transmission line has since been energized, thereby providing power to the line into Liberia.
Mr. Sherif informed the Board that TRANSCO CLSG is currently working to synchronize the Mount Coffee substation to the existing LEC substation, which is expected to be completed this month. He said TRANSCO CLSG is also proceeding to energize the Mano substation in Cape Mount County and subsequently move into Sierra Leone to energize the Kenema substation.
The General Manager disclosed that the construction and subsequent erection of transmission towers from Mano in Liberia to Kenema, Bikongor and into Yiben in Sierra Leone has been completed. He also revealed that three substations out of five in Sierra Leone have been completed and that these facilities are undergoing pre-commissioning tests.
According to Mr. Sherif, TRANSCO CLSG has been working actively with TRACTEBEL, the Owner’s Engineer to prepare all pre-requisite conditions for a successful commissioning of the first section of the line in Man to Monrovia. The process, he said, includes the recruitment of CIE (Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricité or Company Ivorian Electricity) of Cote d’Ivoire as the temporary Operations and Maintenance (O&M) operator for a six to twelve months period and the launching of the tender process to recruit the statutory operator.
Mr. Sherif said despite several unforeseen challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic, which seriously delayed project implementation, the CLSG project has achieved 93 percent completion rate. He assured that everything is being done to ensure full commissioning of the 1,303 km line by December 2021.
The TRANSCO CLSG’s General Manager said his management team remained poised to deliver the much-awaited stable and affordable electricity to the region. He said with the unwavering commitment to succeed, TRANSCO CLSG has continued to forge ahead and reached new milestones. As a result, the CLSG interconnection project has entered its final phase of implementation.
“We are at a critical junction in the implementation of the CLSG project,” Mr. Sherif declared, adding that TRANSCO CLSG in collaboration with the Owner’s Engineer, made crucial decisions and took actions to increase performance and accelerate the implementation phase of the project.
The General Manager thanked His Excellency, President George Weah and the government of Liberia for their unflinching support in realizing the milestone in Liberia. He said under the leadership of President Weah, the government of Liberia demonstrated deep interest and unwavering commitment to the CLSG project, which has ensured the delivery of unimpeded and affordable access to electricity for the populations of the region.
Mr. Sherif particularly recognized the Ministers of Energy and Finance and Development Planning for their respective leadership and relentless coordination roles that ensured the CLSG infrastructure is fully constructed and energized.
The General Manager also expressed gratitude to the governments and people of Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Guinea, donors and other key actors including the Board of Directors for their unwavering supports to TRANSCO CLSG and the CLSG project. According to him, the all-embracing support has been invaluable as the company endeavors to deliver on its goal.
Cote d’Ivoire Promises sustained electricity supply
Meanwhile the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Amidou Traore, who is also head of the country’s electricity utility, CI Energies (Côte d’Ivoire Énergies), has assured a flow of stable electricity through the CLSG Line. He said Cote d’Ivoire’s desire to support the CLSG in the supply of electricity has never wavered.
Mr. Traore thanked the governments and people of the CLSG and TRANSCO CLSG for the progress made so far in the implementation of the project. He assured the CLSG that Cote d’Ivoire will provide stable electricity within the framework of this project. “We are doing everything necessary to supply electricity in quantity and quality to ensure the CLSG project is successful,” the General Manager of CI Energies said.
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