Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia: West African Power Pool 225Kv Transmission Interconnection Reinforcement Project
January 10, 2023
- February 27, 2023
The Grantee invites submission of qualifications and proposal data (collectively referred to as the “Proposal”) from interested U.S. firms that are qualified on the basis of experience and capability to execute a feasibility study for an approximately 650-kilometer 225 kV transmission line and associated substation and distribution equipment from Côte d’Ivoire to Liberia. The deadline to submit questions shall be January 30, 2023. 6:00 p.m. EST/EDT, and the deadline to submit proposals shall be February 27, 2023, 5:00 a.m., EST/EDT. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $1,759,000 grant to the Grantee from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
Project Background
The Côte d’Ivoire -Liberia Interconnection project is part of the 2019 – 2033 ECOWAS Master Plan for the Development of Regional Power Generation and Transmission Infrastructure, involving approximately 650 km of 225 kV transmission line expected to run from Buchanan, Liberia to San Pedro, Côte d’Ivoire. Linking the power systems of Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia through this line will create more direct access to the clean energy generation resources in both countries and will increase the reliability and stability of power exchanges among between Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and beyond. Additionally, the proposed electrification of communities along the Project route is expected to reduce poverty, stimulate rural economic development, empower youth, and enhance gender parity. The Project is also part of the African Union’s Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa –Priority Action Plan.
About the Grantee
West African Power Pool (WAPP) is a regional institution comprising 38 power generation, transmission, distribution, and marketing companies, responsible for coordinating the interconnection of the power grids and development of infrastructure for power generation and transmission in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region.
About the Study
NEPAD-IPPF (New Partnership for Africa’s Development-Infrastructure Project Preparation Fund, a facility within the African Development Bank) would fund the line route survey, including identifying a suitable right-of-way for the entire length of the transmission line with detailed land surveys, maps, and drawings. NEPAD-IPPF would also fund the ESIA, for the Project. The NEPAD-IPPF ESIA would include remediation plans, such as a Resettlement Action Plan and/or an Indigenous Peoples/ Natural Resource Dependent Community Plans. Currently, the recruitment process of the NEPAD-IPPF contractor is complete and studies are expected to start early 2023.
The proposed USTDA-funded Study would commence once the NEPAD-IPPF’s Contractor produce and share the draft Report on Provisional Line Route with the yet-to-be recruited U.S firm. The U.S firm shall review and take part in the validation meeting of the Provisional Line Route of the project. None of the USTDA tasks are duplicative of the work NEPAD-IPPF would fund and the NEPAD-IPPF-funded work would be conducted separately from the USTDA-funded Study but would require close coordination. The proposed USTDA portion of the feasibility work would, among other things, include the preliminary engineering work, the financial and economic analysis, recommendations on the institutional and commercial framework for the Project, a Project risk analysis, and the preparation of bidding documents.
