A meeting to select a Consultant for the Feasibility Study of the WAPP 225kV Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia Transmission Interconnection Reinforcement Project

Within the framework of the above-mentioned project, a meeting to evaluate the proposals received from prospective Consultants interested in carrying out the Study was held in Cotonou, Republic of Benin by the Procurement Selection Committee that was appointed by the WAPP from March 1 to 3, 2023. This Procurement Selection Committee comprised representatives of CI-ENERGIES, LEC and the Ministries in charge of energy in Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia.

It is worth adding that the opening session of the Proposals was first done online on February 27, 2023 at 11:30 am Cotonou Time with the participation of the Procurement Selection Committee, the Prospective Consultants and when Proposals were received, the representatives of CI-ENERGIES , LEC and the Ministries in charge of energy in Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia constituting the Procurement Selection Committee were brought together in Cotonou, the Republic of Benin at the WAPP Secretariat to carry out the evaluation of the Proposals received.

This Feasibility Study is funded by the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to perform the technical, economic, and financial analyzes necessary for the Project to reach financial close. The Study would be conducted in conjunction with New Partnership for Africa's Development-Infrastructure Project Preparation Fund (NEPAD-IPPF), a facility within the African Development Bank that is funding the Project Line Route and the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (“ESIA”) for the Project.

The Study is to support the development of an approximately 650-kilometer of a 225 kV transmission line and associated substation and distribution equipment from Côte d'Ivoire to Liberia and create more direct access to the clean energy generation resources in both countries, such as the recently operational 275 megawatt Soubre Hydropower Facility in Côte d'Ivoire; the existing 88 MW Mount Coffee Hydropower Facility on the St. Paul River in Liberia, a second hydropower project under preparation on the St. Paul River that will have a capacity of approximately 150 MW; and the 220 MW Tiboto hydropower project under development on the Cavally River between Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia. The Project is also part of the African Union’s Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa –Priority Action Plan.