Solution to Guinea, Senegal, Gambia energy crisis in sight

Households and the business environment in Guinea, Senegal and The Gambia are increasingly plagued by frequent power outages, to such a degree that it has become a top political issue. Now, technicians from the Gambia River Basin Development Organisation, OMVG, promise that a “final solution” to the regional energy crisis is in sight.

The OMVG has presented a report on its progress at a seminar held by the Gambian Department of State for Water Resources in Banjul, ‘The Point’ reports. Efforts to find a permanent solution to the chronic energy deficit in the three countries and Guinea-Bissau were “at an advanced stage,” the OMVG report promised.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Justino Viera, Executive Secretary of OMVG, had disclosed that one of the hydroelectric stations situated in Sambangalou, Senegal, has an installed capacity of 128 MW, while the other in Kaleta in Guinea has an installed capacity of 240 MW, according to ‘The Point’ reporters Madi Nije and Bakary Samateh. An interconnection between the national electricity networks of the countries was also close to be completed, Mr Viera said.

The four countries grouped in the OMVG have experienced increasing problems satisfying the growing demand for electricity in their growing economies. Except for the large Gambia River Basin project, few investments have been made on a regional basis.

Afrol News