The African Development Fund has approved an additional $7.41 million loan to help complete Liberia’s Renewable Energy for Electrification project. This new financing will address cost overruns related to the construction of the run-of-river hydropower plant, associated infrastructure, and project management delays. It will also support underfunded components, including the implementation of the Gender Action Plan, ensuring the project meets all planned outputs such as full plant completion, grid integration, and environmental and social safeguards.
The initiative, jointly implemented by the Liberian government and the African Development Bank, was originally approved in 2019, with implementation beginning in March 2021. Its central component is the construction of a 9.34-megawatt run-of-river hydropower plant at Gbedin Falls in Nimba County. The plant will be linked to a new 8-kilometer evacuation line, transformer substations, and a cross-border transmission line. Additional works include building permanent and temporary access roads and installing 50 kilometers of distribution lines to connect households to the grid.
Once completed, the project is expected to boost Liberia’s electricity supply by 56.5 gigawatt-hours annually, contributing nearly 7 percent to the national energy mix. It will also significantly expand access to electricity, connecting around 6,650 households and providing power to approximately 60,000 people who previously lacked reliable energy access.
