Freetown, Sierra Leone – In a startling development, Sierra Leone’s capital city, Freetown, has been plunged into darkness as Turkish energy operator Karpowership abruptly terminated its electricity supply due to an outstanding debt of approximately $40 million.
Energy Minister Kanja Sesay disclosed to Reuters that this substantial debt had accumulated over time because the government heavily subsidizes more than half of the cost per kilowatt-hour charged by the ship. This necessity arises from the fact that the government bills consumers in the weak local Leone currency, which has been struggling against the US dollar, the currency used to pay the power provider.
In response to this crisis, the government has established a commission to review consumer electricity tariffs, with the possibility of doubling them looming on the horizon.
Karpowership, a major player in the floating power plant industry and a subsidiary of the Karadeniz Energy Group, had previously entered agreements in 2018 and 2020 to supply electricity to Sierra Leone’s state power utility. The company has similarly engaged with numerous African nations grappling with power shortages.
As of now, Karpowership has not issued an official statement regarding this abrupt power cutoff.
According to information provided on the company’s website, Karpowership has been contributing around 65 megawatts of power generation capacity to Sierra Leone since 2020, meeting 80 percent of the country’s total electricity demand.
Minister Sesay explained that Karpowership’s disconnection has resulted in a 13 percent reduction in electricity supply to the capital. Consequently, electricity is now being rationed in Freetown, with households and businesses enduring hours-long blackouts each day.
Karpowership is just one of three key sources of electricity for the city, alongside the country’s hydroelectric dam and power imported from an interconnection with Ivory Coast, which also serves Guinea and Liberia.
Minister Sesay noted that the demand for Karpowership’s supply is most acute during the dry season when water levels at the nation’s dam are at their lowest. During the rainy season, dependence on the firm diminishes.
Currently, Sierra Leone finds itself in the midst of its peak rainy season, which extends from May to November.
