World Small Hydropower Development Report 2016

Transcription

1 Sierra Leone

2 Sierra Leone Denise Tulcidas, Marcis Galauska and Nathan Stedman, International Center on Small Hydro Power Key facts Population 6,315,627 1 Area 71,740 km 2 Climate Topography Rain pattern General dissipation of rivers and other water sources Sierra Leona has a tropical climate with two seasons. The dry season (November to April) brings harmattan winds from the Sahara Desert and hits the country, resulting in sandstorms and little precipitation. The wet season (May to October) is characterized with winds from the southwest monsoon. Average temperatures vary between 25 C and 28 C. 2 The western part (the Sierra Leone Peninsula) is a mountainous area that slopes down to the coastal plain in the east and extends inland for about km. The north-east is characterized by stretches of wooded hills that lead to a plateau region ( m). The highest point is Loma Mansa (Bintimani) at 1,948 m. The relief is drained by a system of rivers flowing through cataracts and waterfalls. They are navigable for short distances and are ideal for hydropower development and providing water for the rural communities. 2,3 The coast and the mountains receive more than 5,800 mm of rainfall annually, while the rest of the country receives approximately 3,150 mm. There are three climatic belts: the coast to 80 km inland, with rainfall greater than 3,300 mm per annum; 80 to 190 km inland, with an average annual rainfall of between 2,500 and 3,300 mm; and 190 km inland to the border areas, with an average annual rainfall between 1,900 mm and 2,500 mm. 2,3 The country has 12 river basins. Five are shared with Guinea and two with Liberia. The most important rivers are the Kolente (Great Scarcies), Kaba, Rokel, Pampana (Jong), Sewa, Moa and Mano. Seasonal variation affects flow, which is lowest in April, as only per cent of discharge occurs from December to April. 2 Electricity sector overview The energy sector in Sierra Leone is highly dependent on the use of imported petroleum (petrol, diesel, kerosene), hydropower and biomass (wood and charcoal). The total installed electricity generation capacity in the end of 2013 was 98 MW, with 179 GWh produced by thermal (oil), hydropower and solar PV (Figure 1). 17 Available capacity is lower due to the Kingtom and Blackhall Road power stations being in poor operating condition. As the nation is still recovering from war, the electricity generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure are still in need of maintenance. 5,11 FIGURE 1 Electricity generation in Sierra Leone (GWh) Thermal power Hydropower Solar power 7.2 Source: Ministry of Energy According to a 2014 report from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the national electrification rate was 15 per cent. In rural areas, only 1 per cent had access to electricity In urban areas, this increased to 38 per cent. The government has an energy target to reach 50 per cent electricity access by 2020, 75 per cent by 2025 and 100 per cent by Currently, most of the energy needs at the household level are met by the use of traditional sources such as wood and charcoal. 5,10 Sierra Leone has great hydropower potential, enough to supply Freetown and to export excess electricity to its neighbouring countries. 5 The estimated potential is 1,513 MW (from 27 different sites, with most of them facing flow variations between wet and dry seasons). Only about 4.7 per cent of the hydropower potential in the country has been tapped so far. 12 In terms of generation cost, Yiben I and II, Bekongor III, Kambatibo, Betmai III falls are the most promising plants. 12 The 50 MW Bumbuna I plant came online in 2010 and in combination with other hydropower plants accounted for 57 per cent of total capacity in A 2.4 MW plant (Guma) was decommissioned in The Government has projected a strategic plan in their National Energy Policy to increase electricity generation capacity to 1,000 MW by Another main objective 230

3 1.5 of their National Energy Policy is to develop the energy supply infrastructure countrywide by developing alternative sources of energy without adversely affecting the five pillars of the 25-year Development Plan: an environment for economic and social development, good governance, improvement of national security, employment creation, and poverty alleviation. For the second and third stages of the energy expansion plan (by 2020 and 2025, respectively), 2 per cent of non-hydro renewable energy (RE) has been planned. 8 The authority responsible for the electricity and water sectors is the Ministry of Energy and Power. They are in charge of policy formulation, planning and coordination and are also responsible for electric power supply, including matters related to renewable energies (hydro, solar and wind). The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is responsible for matters related to biomass, especially fuel wood. 6 The National Power Authority (NPA) is the country s stateowned electricity provider and is responsible for the generation, transmission, distribution, supply and sale of electricity. The government has, in principle, repealed the Act of Parliament that empowered the NPA as the sole monopolist of electricity supply and now encourages private participation in electricity generation in order to restore power in areas with low electricity access. 4 In January 2015, in an unbundling aimed at encouraging private sector involvement, the Electricity Generation and Transmission Company and the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) replaced the NPA. The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission will oversee the sector, enabling a separation of regulatory and commercial functions. The EDSA will operate as bulk buyer. Unbundling of the sector was established by the National Electricity Law approved in November Sierra Leone is a member country of ECOWAS and their Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREE) aims to develop the renewable energies and energy action plans of their country state member. Sierra Leone is also part of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), a regional organization dedicated to fostering greater cooperation in the region s power sectors and interconnection between countries to enhance energy security. Currently, Sierra Leone does not import electricity, although by joining the WAPP, the country has the potential to become both an importer and exporter of electricity and to compensate for seasonal variations in hydropower generation. 6 Small hydropower sector overview and potential The definition of small hydropower (SHP) in Sierra Leone is installed capacity up to 30 MW. 10 Installed capacity of SHP is MW, while the potential capacity is estimated to be 330 MW. This indicates that approximately 3 per cent has been developed. 16,17 Between the World Small Hydropower Development Report (WSHPDR) 2013 and WSHPDR 2016, installed capacity has increased by 78 per cent (Figure 2). FIGURE 2 SHP capacities in Sierra Leone (MW) Potential capacity Installed capacity Sources: WSHPDR 2013, 18 UNDP, 16 ECREEE 10 Note: The comparison is between data from WSHPDR 2013 and WSHPDR The majority of installed capacity comes from the run-ofriver Dodo plant (6 MW) and is operated by Bo-Kenema Power Services (BKPS). 16 Three new plants are under construction and will be complete by the publishing of this report. These are: } The Makalie hydropower plant, with a capacity of 500 KW, which was jointly projected with the Chinese Government and is expected to be completed by the end of } The Charlotte Hydro Dam Project, with a capacity of 2.2 MW and also a grant by the Chinese Government, which will also be concluded by mid } The Bankasoka Hydro Dam, located by the Bankasoka River in New Port Loko town, which is under construction with a capacity of 2.2 MW. It is also expected to be completed by mid Sierra Leone has great potential for SHP generation. The government has a vision to develop all of its hydropower potential and to install thermal generation to complement the envisaged hydropower plants. 8 According to an ECOWAS RE report from 2014, the country has 330 MW of SHP potential. 10 Since 2012, UNIDO has been working on a feasibility study for a 10-MW hydropower project linked to Njala University at the Moyamba district. In 2013 it was announced that the Moyamba hydro project, which is located at the Singimi Falls on the Gbangba River in Moyamba district, will be developed as a public-private partnership with the Government and will supply power to Moyamba, Njala University and Sierra Rutile. 14 The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is financially supporting the National Government in this construction estimated at US$32 million. 15 In addition to capacity, a Small Hydropower Technology Centre was opened at the Fourah Bay College (FCB), affiliated with the University of Sierra Leone. The centre opened after FCB signed a Memorandum of Understanding with both UNIDO and Global Environment Facility. 19 Western Africa 231

4 Renewable energy policy The Government announced the launch of the National Energy Policy Implementation Strategy in 2010 and set out plans for achieving the Renewable Energy goals established in the National Energy Policy. 6 It had planned to achieve 18 per cent of electricity generated from renewable energies by Currently, the government has several objectives regarding development and RE, which are set forth in the National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP). Some of the targets include: } Increasing installed RE capacity, reaching upwards of 659 MW by 2020 and 1,229 MW by 2030; } Increasing access to RE via off-grid solutions including mini-grids; } Increasing the number of households with solar heating systems; } Blending bioethanol with petrol and biodiesel with diesel; } Increasing the share of RE in the generation mix to over 25 per cent of total capacity by 2020, in large part due to hydropower. 17 The Government has drafted a strategy in order to achieve these objectives. It plans to promote public-private partnerships for large RE projects by incorporating the surrounding community in the operation and ownership of the plant, establishing regulations for grid connections and adjusting tariffs. To promote private investment in small RE projects, the Government plans to establish power purchase agreements and clear policies for feed-in tariffs (FITs), as well as have tax incentives for importing RE equipment. 17 Barriers to small hydropower development Sierra Leone has several barriers for the development of SHP plants, these barriers can be grouped into: } Political: Sierra Leone suffered from 11 years of war that caused economic damage and widespread destruction to the infrastructure. 9 } Financial: There is a lack of financial investment and funds for SHP projects, caused in some way by the lack of incentives to attract investors. 5 } Capacity Building: A network of gauging stations for regular water level and run off measurements and hydrological data collection is available at hydrological stations but there is still missing hydrology departments at universities and training institutes. 9 The absence of local experts, trained specialists for strategic planning, operation and maintenance in this field are also a constraint. 5 } Technical: There is a lack of local production of equipment, turbines and spare parts. 9 } Institutional: Absence of legal and regulatory framework, energy policy and local consultancy capacity. 9 According to AfDB (2011) the country has one of the highest electricity tariffs in West Africa. 5 References 1. World Bank (2014). Population, total. Available from 2. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (2005).Sierra Leone. Aquastat database. Available from 3. Bangoura, J. S., Sheriff, M. A. and Kamara, M. (2009). Joint CILSS/FAO/FEWS NET Pre-Harvest Assessment Mission of the 2009/2010 Cropping Season in Sierra Leone. Freetown. October. Available from ne/pdf/rapports%20pays/sierra%20leone.pdf. 4. Barrie, H. and Reider, H. H. (2010). Paper presented at Seminar on Small Hydro Power Station and Sustainable Development. International Center on Small Hydro Power. Hangzhou, China. June, African Development Bank (2011). Infrastructure and growth in Sierra Leone. The African Bank Group. Available from 6. Clean Energy Portal - Reegle (2014). Energy Profile Sierra Leone. Available from sierra-leone-energy-profile/sl. 7. Competence Platform on Energy Crop and Agroforestry Systems for Arid and Semi-arid Ecosystems (2008). National Policies and Strategies on Bioenergy in Africa Case Study: Sierra Leone. Available from NationalBioenergyPolicy-SierraLeone-0801.pdf. 8. Sierra Leone, Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (n.d.). The Sierra Leone National Energy Policy and Strategic Plan. Available from energy%20policy%20&%20strategic%20plan.pdf. 9. Economic Community Of West African States,Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (2012). Baseline Report on Small-Scale Hydropower in the ECOWAS Region. Available from org/sites/default/files/documents/basic_page/ecowasunido_sshp_baseline_report.pdf. 10. Economic Community Of West African States Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (2014). ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status Report Available from Portals/0/documents/activities/Regional%20Reports/ ECOWAS_EN.pdf. 11. Climatescope (2015). Sierra Leone. Available from 12.Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (2009). Regional Report on Sierra Leone. Available from expertise/downloads/gtz2009-en-regionalreport-wasierraleone.pdf. 13. Sierra Leone, Ministry of Energy (n.d.). Official website. Available from html. 232

5 Cross Border Information (2015). Sierra Leone: NPA unbundling completed. 29, January 2015.Available from Article/Sierra+Leone+NPA+unbundling+completed. aspx?date= #full. 15. Sallia, P. (n.d.). US$ 32 Million For 10 Mega Watts In Moyamba. Standard Times Press. Available from standardtimespress.org/?p= United Nations Development Programme (2013). National energy profile of Sierra Leone. Available from focusareadocs/undp_sle_energyprofile.pdf. 17. Sierra Leone, Ministry of Energy (2015). Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Action Agenda for Sierra Leone. Available from files/events/presentation_se4all_action_agenda_sierra_ leone.pdf. 18. Liu, H., Masera, D. and Esser, L., eds. (2013). World Small Hydropower Development Report United Nations Industrial Development Organization; International Center on Small Hydro Power. Available from Saffa, Victoria (n.d.).fcb gets Small-Hydro Power Technology Centre. Concord Times. Available from Eastern Africa 233