West Africa expands regional power links with 4,000km grid

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West Africa is deepening regional electricity integration with more than 4,000 kilometres of high-voltage transmission lines connecting the power grids of 15 countries, according to the World Bank.

The expansion is enabling utilities to trade electricity across borders, with regional power trade now accounting for about eight per cent of electricity generated in the region, bringing West Africa closer to the 10–12 per cent benchmark for cross-border electricity trade in the European Union.

The lender stated on its website that the regional integration programme also enabled more than three million people in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and The Gambia to gain access to electricity services between 2019 and 2025, following upgrades to transmission and distribution infrastructure.

The development comes as West African countries seek to address persistent electricity shortages, high generation costs and weak utility finances, which have constrained economic activity across the region.

According to the World Bank, several countries previously had surplus electricity generation but lacked the transmission infrastructure and trading arrangements required to export power to neighbouring countries facing shortages.

The regional approach has helped change that by connecting national grids through major interconnectors, including the Côte d’Ivoire–Liberia–Sierra Leone–Guinea line, the Guinea–Guinea-Bissau–The Gambia–Senegal transmission loop and the Senegal-Mali interconnector.

Source: Wikipedia