Impressive! President Weah asserts following substation tour

LIBERIA: President George M. Weah visited the Yekepa substation in Nimba County, during his nationwide tour on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. The high-level visit for the first time by the Liberian President serves as a major milestone in the implementation of the CLSG interconnection project, as TRANSCO CLSG pushes towards energizing and commissioning the transmission line from Cote d’Ivoire to Liberia through the Yekepa substation, which is the entry point for the 225kV high-power electricity.

“This is impressive!” President Weah excitedly said following the tour of the facility. He was guided on tour by TRANSCO CLSG’s Country Manager, Jerry Taylor.  The visit was a resounding success as it afforded President Weah the opportunity to see for himself the level of progress that has been made to bring reliable and affordable electricity to Liberia.

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President Weah was received upon arrival at the TRANSCO CLSG facility by the Minister of Mines and Energy, Hon Gesler E. Murray, who underscored the significance of the CLSG energy project for the Liberian people and the Mano River Sub-region at large. He said the transmission line, when energized will immensely benefit the people in terms of reliability and affordably of the power.

Minister Murray applauded the President and the Government for prioritizing energy for the Liberian people within the national development agenda. He said the actualization of the CLSG project is the manifestation of the President’s commitment to ensuring that the age-old power deficit, especially during the dry season will come to an end.

The Liberian Energy Minister stressed that the power will not only be reliable, but also affordable as the tariff is expected to shift downward and will deepen socioeconomic activities of the people and improve their lives significantly.

For his part, the Country Manager of TRANSCO CLSG, assured the President that the CLSG power will be available in Liberia, up to Mt. Coffee before the end of March 2021. However, he cautioned that the CLSG transmission network with five 225 kV substations in Liberia will only be useful to the Liberian people when national network is built to reach the power to the eagerly awaiting population.

Taylor disclosed that the CLSG project has a rural electrification component that will allow power reach directly to the rural population. He said about 126 towns and villages along the line corridor in Liberia will be electrified through the Shield Wire System.

President Weah expressed delight at the level of progress already made in the project implementation. He emphasized that the electricity would help improve the quality of life of Liberians and the sub-region, and that it is healthy for regional cooperation.

The President was accompanied by the Ministers of Finance for Development Planning, Information, Cultural and Tourism, State for Presidential Affairs, Internal Affairs, among others.

The CLSG project is financed by four donors, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank and the German Development Bank (KfW), with counterpart funding from the governments of the CLSG countries. The CLSG project now stands at 99% completion rate in Liberia and 90% overall completion.