ECOWAS authorizes creation of regional electricity market

On the occasion of the last Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit, the heads of state of the zone agreed to the establishment of a regional market for the ” Electricity, to respond to the energy deficit that has penalized its 15 member countries for decades (Etienne Bailly, Transco CLSG).

Transco CLSG was established by the West African Power Pool (WAPP). This body, founded in 2000, brings together the national electricity companies of 14 of the 15 ECOWAS member countries and 1,300 km of electrical interconnection lines across Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

For this project, € 329 million will be made available over 25 years through a consortium of international institutions including the World Bank, the African Development Bank (ADB), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the German Development Bank ‘export.

ECOWAS currently produces 10,000 megawatts of electricity and 4,000 km of transmission lines. It will take 26,000 megawatts of electrical capacity and 16,000 km of lines to fill the energy deficit (Etienne Bailly).