Sierra Leone faces power disruptions as Turkish power ship turns off electricity supply

Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, is experiencing power outages as Karpowership, a Turkish company, has halted the electricity supply due to an outstanding debt of approximately USD 40 million, as announced by Alhaji Kanja Sesay, the Minister of Energy, on Friday, September 8, 2023.

The energy minister explained that this debt had accumulated over time because the government subsidizes more than half of the cost per kilowatt hour charged by the ship. The government’s increased subsidy is necessitated by the fact that they bill consumers in the local Leone currency, which has significantly weakened against the dollar, the currency in which they pay the power provider.

In response to the crisis, a government commission has been established to reassess consumer electricity tariffs, which could potentially double in order to address the financial shortfall.

Karpowership, a prominent operator of floating power plants globally and a division of the Karadeniz Energy Group, had previously entered agreements in 2018 and 2020 to supply electricity to Sierra Leone’s state power utility. The company has established similar agreements with numerous African countries grappling with electricity shortages. As of now, Karpowership has not provided any comments on the situation.

According to the information on its website, Karpowership has been providing Sierra Leone with approximately 65 megawatts of power generation capacity since 2020, covering 80 percent of the country’s total electricity requirements.

Sesay revealed that the suspension of electricity supply by Karpowership has resulted in a 13 percent reduction in power availability to the capital. Consequently, electricity is now being rationed in Freetown, with households and businesses enduring daily hours without power.

Karpower represents one of three primary sources of electricity for the city, the other two being the country’s hydro dam and power from an interconnection with Ivory Coast, which also serves Guinea and Liberia. Sesay noted that Karpower’s supply is particularly crucial during the dry season when water levels at the dam are low, while reliance on the company diminishes during the rainy season. Currently, Sierra Leone is in the midst of its peak rainy season, which spans from May to November.

Credit: Reuters