• Release by Scatec signed two solar leasing deals: a 23.75 MWp plant in Liberia and a 40 MWp facility in Sierra Leone.
• The Liberian project will boost Monrovia’s power capacity by 20% and cut 20,000 tons of CO₂ annually.
• The model converts capital investment into operating costs, reducing financial barriers for local utilities.

Release by Scatec announced on October 16 that it signed two solar power leasing agreements in Liberia and Sierra Leone, as both countries push to expand electricity access through renewables. According to the World Bank, fewer than 40% of residents in each nation had electricity in 2023, but both aim to surpass 70% access by 2030.

The first agreement, a 15-year lease with the Liberia Electricity Corporation, covers the construction of a 23.75-megawatt-peak (MWp) solar plant with a 10-megawatt-hour (MWh) storage system in Duazon, near Monrovia.

The facility will increase the capital’s grid capacity by 20% and generate about 35,000 MWh of electricity annually. It is expected to avoid 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year while reducing reliance on thermal power plants during the dry season, when the Mont Coffee hydropower output falls.

The second project, with an undisclosed lease duration, was signed with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Energy and the national power utility. It involves installing a 40 MWp solar plant in Kamakwie, connected to the Transco CLSG substation.

This plant will produce around 70,000 MWh annually and cut approximately 47,000 tons of CO₂ emissions each year. The project will also strengthen integration between Sierra Leone’s national grid and the regional interconnection line.

Hans Olav Kvalvaag, CEO of Release by Scatec, said the agreements represent “an important step towards providing reliable, clean, and affordable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Release by Scatec’s model allows utilities to lease modular, pre-assembled solar units on short- or long-term contracts. The company finances, installs, and operates the systems, converting capital expenditures into operational costs. This approach reduces the need for financial guarantees and shortens deployment timelines.

The same model has already been implemented in Cameroon, where two projects totaling 36 MWp and 19 MWh were commissioned within six months. The firm believes the system can support Liberia and Sierra Leone in reaching their electrification targets — currently at 32.5% and 35.5% respectively — to more than 70% by 2030.

This article was initially published by Abdoullah Diop

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum