The West Africa Power Pool, (WAPP), says it is completing the its North Core Project, a transmission line scheme that will link Nigeria to three countries.
The Chairman, Executive Board of WAPP, Dr. Sule Abdulaziz made this known at the 52nd WAPP Executive Board Meeting taking place as part of the 16th Session of the WAPP General Assembly in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
While highlighting key project implementation updates, Dr. Sule Abdulaziz who is also the Acting MD/CEO of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said that the WAPP North Core Project that seeks to interconnect Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Benin is in the implementation phase with the procurement process underway.
The project is expected to be completed by 2023 and is part of efforts of the WAPP to integrate the power systems of West African countries by delivering priority projects which would ensure that all fourteen countries in the mainland of ECOWAS are eventually interconnected.
He said other projects undertaken within the West African region include the construction of the 330kV Volta (Ghana) to Lome ‘C’ (Togo) – Sakété (Benin) interconnection line that has been completed and will soon be energized and the WAPP Cote d’Ivoire – Sierra Leone – Guinea which project will also be commissioned very soon.
According to him, WAPP has continued to make giant strides towards the effective operationalization of the ECOWAS Regional Electricity by continuing to harmonize the market rules and agreement by market participants on regulatory issues.
This will ensure flexibility in the power system and increase trading opportunities for market participants, among others.
Dr. Abdulaziz tasked the members with sustained determination towards attaining the set goals of WAPP, saying that even though a lot has been achieved under the current leadership of the Pool, more needs to be done to achieved the goal of the founding fathers.
The Secretary-General of WAPP, Mr. Siengui Appolinaire KI, at the hybrid meeting urged members on resilience.
According to him, despite the challenges, members must at all costs continue their journey towards the ultimate goal of our institution, which is the implementation of a competitive regional electricity market.
He said new rotating members of the Executive Council, who will have to sit for the next two years and a new Vice-Chairman would be elected, as the former vice Chairman, Mr. Hamidou Traore has been redesignated.
Earlier, while welcoming participants to the meeting, Mr. Baba Ahmed Coulibaly, the Director-General of Sonabel, the power firm hosting the meeting, called for more commitments, saying that “in our sub-region, the stakes in the electricity sector are so high that we must rigorously ensure that the decisions are implemented on time.”
