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The government of Sierra Leone announced on Wednesday a number of steps it has taken towards implementation of the Solar Park Freetown Project. These include the ratification of a $9 million loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the development arm of the United Arab Emirates government.

The Solar Park Freetown Project is a 6 megawatts solar power project that will provide electricity to approximately 3,000 households in Sierra Leone. The clean-energy project has won the acclaim of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), an intergovernmental organisation that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future.

The Sierra Leonean government also said it has established a working Project Implementation Unit (PIU) at the Ministry of Energy. In addition, the government has awarded the engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Mulk OGI (Oasis Gulf Investment), which is affiliated to Sharjah-based diversified conglomerate, Mulk Holdings International. Mulk-OGI has long-term experience in infrastructure and renewable energy EPC projects in developing countries.

Advanced Science and Innovation Company (ASIC) LLC has been appointed as the Project Manager. ASIC specializes in commercialization and project management of innovative science and technology projects that have a sustainable development impact on communities. The Project Consortium, which comprises Mulk OGI and ASIC, will try to include non-revenue generating assets such as an additional extension of road, grid-power infrastructure and a substation in the project development.

“On behalf of the Government and People of Sierra Leone, we would like to extend our gratitude to IRENA for coordinating the selection process, the ADFD for extending USD 9 million as part funding to the Government of Sierra Leone and to ASIC and Mulk-OGI that will lead the Project Management and EPC of the Project respectively," Sierra Leone's Minister of Energy, Henry Macauley, said. "This important project will place Sierra Leone on the global map of sustainable Renewable Energy and provide valuable knowledge transfer and necessary supporting infrastructure, and further strengthen the existing cordial relationship between the Governments of Sierra Leone and the United Arab Emirates.”

The Solar Park Freetown Project team at the Ministry of Energy met with the Consortium at the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit which held on January 18-21 in Abu Dhabi.  After the meetings, the official kick-off and ground-breaking of the project in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital, took place on March 9, 2016.

“Mulk-OGI an associate company of Mulk Renewable Energy, a global EPC entity, is extremely pleased to be part of the Solar Project in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We look forward to the exciting challenge ahead of executing the EPC contract at the earliest,” said Khurram K. Nawab, Managing Director of Mulk-OGI.

The total cost of the solar park project is estimated at $18 million.