Sierra Leone government launches 6MW solar park

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Dignitaries mark the launch of the 6MW project in Freetown earlier this month. Image: Sierra Leone Ministry of Energy.

The government of Sierra Leone has officially launched a 6MW solar project in the capital Freetown after securing financial backing from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).

The initial funding for the solar park was cleared in 2014 with the ADFD as reported by PV Tech in July 2014.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The project, worth an estimated US$18 million, is expected to take around 12 months to complete by both the Advanced Science and Innovation Company (ASIC) and Mulk Oasis Gulf Investment (OGI), a subsidiary of Sharjah-based Mulk Holdings. The companies will partner to provide project management and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) expertise respectively in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy.

Upon completeion the solar park is expected to provide electricity to surrounding districts in urban and rural areas around Freetown.

Henry Macauley, the minister of energy of Sierra Leone said: “This important project will place Sierra Leone on the global map of sustainable renewable energy and provide valuable knowledge transfer and necessary supporting infrastructure, and further strengthen the existing cordial relationship between the Governments of Sierra Leone and the United Arab Emirates…”

Moving forward, next steps in the project are said to include the sourcing of local contractors and mobilisation of the EPC workforce on site the project camp in Newton. 

The Ministry of Energy said in a statement that owing to the falling cost of solar since the project had first been conceived, the project consortium would include a 161kV grid connection line, new sub-station and road extension as part of the overall project cost.

The opportunities and challenges for solar in West Africa will be under discussion at the Solar & Off-Grid Renewables conference on 19-20 April in Accra, Ghana. Hosted by PV Tech's publisher, Solar Media, the event will feature a high-level panel of speakers from industry and government. For further details, click here.

Read Next

August 7, 2025
Infinity Power has signed two concession agreements with the Government of Côte d'Ivoire for PV projects with a total capacity of 80MWac.
July 23, 2025
Norwegian IPP Scatec has been selected for an 846MW solar cluster in the latest REIPPPP tender from South Africa.
Premium
July 23, 2025
Analysis: Import taxes and other policy barriers are creating an affordability crisis in off-grid solar that threatens Africa's electrification goals.
July 7, 2025
GameChange Solar has announced plans to supply trackers for the 1GW second phase of the Abydos project in Egypt.
May 28, 2025
In 2024, 20 million people improved their access to energy through the acquisition of solar energy kits (SEKs), according to GOGLA.
May 23, 2025
TotalEnergies has commissioned its largest solar portfolio in Europe, a collection of five assets in Spain with a combined capacity of 263MW.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines