This will be the first large-scale solar project to be connected to the grid, improving energy access across the country.
There is an urgent need for clean, affordable and stable power in Sierra Leone, where only 23 per cent of the population have access to electricity. This is one of the lowest rates of electricity access in the world, which is having a significant impact on health and education outcomes and hindering job creation and poverty reduction.
Alongside renewable fund manager Frontier Energy, BII and other DFIs including FMO and Proparco invested over $52 million in Planet Solar, a greenfield 50 MW solar power project in Sierra Leone, which is expected to increase electricity supply by 30 per cent.
This will be Sierra Leone’s first large-scale solar project to be connected to the grid which will enable more power to flow to industries and communities in the capital city Freetown, the Western region and four other areas throughout the country.
The investment will support the Government of Sierra Leone’s ambitious plans to significantly increase energy access and reach 92 per cent of the population by 2030.
30%
increase in the country's electricity supply
Sierra Leone is one of the priority countries of the Africa Resilience Investment Accelerator, an initiative funded by our technical assistance facility BII Plus. It aims to unlock investment opportunities and mobilise commercial capital to deliver more investments, like Planet Solar, in frontier markets in Africa.