ECOWAS Fixes 2023 Completion Date for $567m WAPP Project

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries, through the West African Power Pool (WAPP), has set a 2023 date for the completion of the $567.5 and 600 megawatts project.

The sub-regional body said the large electricity market was to allow reliable and affordable electricity supply to citizens within member states, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said.

WAPP, a specialised institution of the ECOWAS covers 14 of the 15 countries of the regional economic community, including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

Erstwhile Managing Director of the TCN, Mr Gur Mohammed, who was sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari last week, was the Chairman of WAPP, until he was relieved of his duties.

According to the TCN, with the framework of interconnecting grids, Cote d’Ivoire – Ghana – Benin/ Togo – Nigeria will have the coastal backbone, while Ghana – Burkina Faso – Mali will share the interzonal hub, among others. It said that the infrastructure mainly comprises 875km of 330kV double circuit transmission lines from Birnin Kebbi (Nigeria) to Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) through Zabori (Niger) and Gorou Banda (Niger) and from Zabori (Niger) to Malanville (Benin).

In addition, the TCN noted that there is the 24km 225kV DC transmission lines in Burkina Faso, while the grid would be looped inside Ouagadougou town.

“Five substations (Zabori and Gorou Banda in Niger, Ouaga East and Ouaga South-East in Burkina Faso, Malanville in Benin) would be executed as part of the project and some additional SCADA and SVC’s.

“In Nigeria, we have 62km transmission line in Niger we have 420km, in Burkina Faso we have 381km and in Benin 12km, totalling 875km of 330kV transmission lines while in Burkina Faso we have 24km of 225kV transmission lines.

“The project also has a rural electrification component to provide electricity to communities along the 330 kV lines, within a radius of 5km, in Burkina Faso and Niger. This will be implemented by their respective utilities, SONABEL and NIGELEC it said. It stressed that resettlement action plans had been designed to mitigate specific social impacts in all the participants’ countries, including communities whose lands and livelihood would be affected.