The Sierra Leone government engaged a Ugandan company, Dipro International Engineering in a bid to band-aid the country’s current electricity crisis.
Earlier this week, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Director-General of Opeartions at the Ministry of Foreign Franklyn Fawundu engaged in a productive meeting with the management team of Dipro International. The primary focus of this meeting was to discuss the development of a 20 MW solar system, aimed at enhancing the country’s power output and supporting sustainable energy in the West African nation.
Sierra Leone is currently addressing an electricity challenge, as the dry season is impacting power generation from the Bumbuna Hydro Power dam. This situation has led to intermittent power cuts in the capital, Freetown, but the meeting presents an opportunity for the exploration of alternative energy solutions and improvements in infrastructure to ensure a more reliable power supply in the future.
On March 10, the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) reported a shortage of electricity supply affecting numerous communities in Freetown and the Western Area District. They said the issue is attributed to reduced water levels in the Bumbuna Dam located in Tonkolili, which has impacted the overall electricity generation capacity.
Meanwhile, Deputy Energy Minister Ing. Edmond Nonie said on a TV program that the government is trying to construct a solar energy system to help cushion the effects of power outages in the capital.
Sierra Leone currently utilises power from the dam, a few thermal plants and a Turkish company, Karpowership.
In April last year, the country’s debt climbed to over $46 million leading to the company shutting down their generators. A few weeks later the debt was paid after Energy Minister, Kanja Sesay resigned from his position.
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