The International Development Association (IDA), the concessional financing arm of the World Bank, has recently allocated funds worth USD 311 million under the Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project (RESPITE).
The project intends to strengthen regional integration in Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo, and rapidly increase the grid-connected renewable energy capacity. A USD 20 million grant is also included to support potential regional power trade and build the institutional and technical capabilities of the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) to undertake its regional mandate. RESPITE will finance the construction and operation of about 106 MW of solar photovoltaic capacity with battery energy storage systems, and 41 MW expansion of hydroelectric capacity. It will also support electricity distribution and transmission projects in all four nations.