President Weah reaffirms commitment to CLSG project

A 15-min video, documenting 87 percent progress in the implementation of the CLSG interconnection project has got authorities in Liberia pumped up as they reaffirmed total commitment to the project.

“This is great news for Liberia,” exclaimed Liberia’s Finance Minister Samuel Tweah, who watched the short documentary at the TRANSCO CLSG’s Country Office in Congo Town, Monrovia during a meeting with TRANSCO CLSG General Manager recently.

“Electricity is one of our priorities under our development agenda,” an elated Minister Tweah asserted.

The Liberian government, through the office of the Finance Minister has been very supportive of the CLSG project as Liberia continues to fulfil its financial obligations to the project.

Following the Congo Town meeting, the General Manager of TRANSCO CLSG met with His Excellency, President George Weah where he briefed the Liberian leader on the progress made in the CLSG project implementation. “We will begin to commission the line in December 2020,” Mr. Mohammed M. Sherif informed the President, who looked excited. Mr. Sherif said TRANSCO CLSG will begin to energize the transmission line in Liberia and into Sierra Leone in December 2020.

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The TRANSCO CLSG boss showcased the video that captivated the full attention of the Liberian leader, and two of his top cabinet ministers, including the Minister of Finance, Samuel Tweah and Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill.

Following Mr. Sherif’s presentation of the high gains in the CLSG project implementation, the President expressed delight that the project has reached such a remarkable milestone. He recalled the project at the stage of documentation when he served as a Senator and member of the senate standing committee on ECOWAS.

In a country undergoing reconstruction, the Liberian leader has made access to energy for all Liberians a credo. President Weah underlined the urgent need for stable and reliable electricity in Liberia. He expressed his happiness for the ongoing CLSG interconnection project which interconnects the electric grid of Cote d’Ivoire to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

The height of the President’s enthusiasm was that commissioning of the line will be possible in December 2020 and that the villages and towns along the CLSG line will be electrified directly from the line through the shield wire system.

Meanwhile, the General Manager of TRANSCO CLSG is urging the government of Liberia to engage the donor partners, especially the World Bank to prioritize the expansion of the national network, not only for the capitol of Monrovia but also for the provincial cities and towns around the CLSG substations. He informed President Weah about the strategic location of the Botota Substation, which will cover the Southeast and the Northwestern parts of Liberia.

The General Manager thanked President Weah and the government of Liberia for taking the lead in the implementation of the CLSG project by the timely approvals of relevant documents and the issuance of permits, passes, customs clearance, etc. He recalled Liberia was at the bottom of the implementation trail from the beginning of the project but has since surpassed other CLSG member countries in fulfilling its obligations to the project implementation.

Mr. Sherif called on the Weah Administration to ensure that the outstanding requirements are met in time in the wake of the schedule for commission, such as the signing of the Power Purchase Agreement, (PPA), TSA, etc. by the national utility.

The West African Interconnection Project between Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea (CLSG Project) is expected to strengthen energy trade between these countries.