By Kadijatu Bangura, Daily Scope Reporter
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 — Sierra Leone’s military is set to become energy self-reliant as the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General A.I. Bangura, and the Minister of Energy, Hon. Cyril A. Grant, on Wednesday pushed forward a massive 650 megawatt power deal and a nationwide solarization plan for military barracks.
At a high-level strategic meeting held at the Ministry of Energy Conference Room, Lt. Gen. Bangura disclosed that military barracks currently consume huge unmetered electricity without tariff settlement, a situation that places a huge fiscal burden on the state.
He said the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) will transition all barracks to off-grid solar micro-grids paired with prepaid top-up metering to enforce accountability, curtail waste, and align with Government’s directive for MDAs to contribute to energy and food security in peacetime.
The meeting brought together senior military officers including Maj. Gen. SDT Ngaojah, Brig. Gen. M.B.S. Kamara, Col. F.S. Aruna and Brig. Gen. R.R. Gibrudo, Energy Ministry officials Dr. Steven Jusu, Ing. Benjamin Kamara and Lawrence Amara, and a technical delegation from Defence Enterprise Solutions (DES) and partners SCG Deck and FASOSMART.
Defence Enterprise Solutions, the commercial arm of the Ministry of Defence overseeing agriculture, energy, construction and road building, said it has been engaging the Energy Ministry for 10 months on three major generation projects totalling 650MW.
The projects are a 100 Megawatt Utility Solar Project across two adjacent 50MW plots under a Build-Operate-Transfer model, a 250 Megawatt Gas-Fired Power Plant to provide baseload to the national grid, and a 300 Megawatt Wastewater-to-Energy Project including a 50MW pilot at zero financial cost to Government.
SCG Deck, comprising French-trained engineers with proven electrification projects in Guinea, said pre-feasibility studies, interconnection studies and draft Power Purchase Agreements have been completed, with geotechnical soil testing now underway. The company assured that the first 50MW solar phase could be fully commissioned within 12 to 18 months of formal agreement.
In his response, Energy Minister Hon. Grant welcomed the initiative and commended the RSLAF leadership for its forward-thinking approach to reducing state expenditure.
He reiterated Government’s commitment to expanding generation capacity but stressed strict policy constraints on new Independent Power Producers to ensure utility solvency, affordable tariffs and sustainability.
Both parties agreed on concrete next steps: immediate nomination of a Technical Focal Point from the Energy Ministry, submission of the complete technical and financial package by SCG Deck and DES within 14 days, and convening of a Joint Technical and Financial Evaluation Committee with the Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission to review tariff structure and grid evacuation capacity.
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