TRANSCO Electricity will spur investments – says World Bank

World Bank asserts…. “CLSG has the power to be truly transformational for the people of Liberia.”

The World Bank has pinned its hopes on the TRANSCO CLSG power grid to drive Liberia’s future economic development, saying a lot of potential exists.

The CLSG grid, which is expected to ensure reliable and cheap access to electricity for the population, is a 225Kv CLSG power line that runs from Cote d’Ivoire to Liberia, and then Sierra Leone. It is expected to serve as an essential component in driving economic growth and spurring investment, with the manufacturing sector benefiting immensely.

“The CLSG line also constitutes the backbone of the national transmission network in Liberia and provides the means for a significant leapfrog in the electrification of the country,” said Carol Wambugu, World Bank Liberia Operations Officer, in a statement on behalf of Bank Country Manager Khwima Nthara.

“It makes it possible to bring grid-supplied electricity to remote populations and businesses that would otherwise need to wait 10 to 15 years for grid electricity. CLSG has the power to be truly transformational for the people of Liberia.”

Wambugu noted that the bank remains confident to secure the sustainability aspect of the project, for the current and future generations of Liberia.

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“The World Bank shares these objectives and remains ready to support the country’s efforts to make them a reality,” she added, while speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the CLSG substation at Mt. Coffee Hydro Power Plant.

The CLSG grid, which is expected to increase the LEC’s power generation capacity by 27 Megawatts — amounting to about 50% of what Mt. Coffee Hydro currently generates — comes at a time when Liberia has had relatively low levels of electricity access.

According to experts, the commissioning of the CLSG grid would help Liberia achieve its economic potential, while boosting investments, and manufacturing.

In 2020, just 27.5% of Liberia’s nearly four million population had access to electricity, with the majority of its rural population languishing without access to government-generated power, World Bank estimates. 

The Mount Coffee Hydro Power plant substation is the largest of the CLSG projects. The electricity line runs from Ivory Coast through Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone with the capacity of carrying over 200 megawatts of high voltage, affordable and uninterrupted electricity powering heavy manufacturing and production.

Story by David Yates of Daily Observer