Bong County Solar Systems (BCSS)

BCSS PROJECT EXECUTIVE BRIEF 

PROJECT PROFILE  

Project Name: Bong County Solar System (BCSS) 

Sponsor/Developer: Liberia Electric Power Services Inc (LEPSI) 

Developer Contact: Jimmy N. Nyanwapolu, jnyanwapolu@direct-energy.org 

Project Type: Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) / Independent Power Producer (IPP) Capacity: 5MW AC Solar PV + 2 MW / 4 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with potential to scale 

Location: Gbarnga–Wainsue Lofa County Highway Corridor, Bong County, Liberia 

Primary Off taker: Jungle Energy Power (JEP) with off-take range of 5-20MW 

Total Estimated CAPEX: USD $8.5 Million (Subject to completed FEED study)

Current Status: Discussions ongoing to qualify for P-REC label and up to 10% CAPEX support from PAF 

BACKGROUND 

The Bong County Solar Systems (BCSS) is a rural electric grid strengthening project in Gbarnga City, Bong County, central Liberia, West Africa. It is a 5-MW Solar + BESS facility and a 10-mile 33KV transmission system to evacuate electricity into the Gbarnga grid through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Jungle Energy Power (JEP), an authorized distribution entity of the State’s owned Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC). JEP has tentatively agreed to off-take the power generated to help mitigate its current supply deficit and unreliable cross border imported energy supply from neighboring Cote D’Ivoire through the sub-regional Transmission Company for Cote D’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea (Transco-CLSG) corridor. The integrated 10-mile transmission component will help situate the solar facility site at a suitable location with the land space needed to meet the project's proposed capacity. It meaningfully creates an opportunity to scale on generation capacity and integrate with a WAPP-CLSG transmission expansion along the Gbarnga-Lofa Highway that is a planned route for the proposed 605 km Botota-Voinjama-Mendikoma transmission corridor the Saudi Fund has partially committed $49m to. 

Project team is positively engaging with Energy Peace Partners (EPP) to reach qualification approval for its Peace Renewable Energy Credit (P-REC) energy attribute certification label, and a possibility of securing up to 10% project CAPEX funding through the P-REC Aggregation Facility (PAF). This milestone confirms the BCSS facility's peacebuilding and development co-benefits, making it an ideal candidate for matching capital and structured technical assistance from potential funding sources. 

1. VALUE PROPOSITION SUMMARY 

The Bong County Solar System (BCSS) is a high-impact, grid-connected renewable energy infrastructure project designed to address severe energy insecurity in Gbarnga City and surrounding corridors. The project combines a 5 MW Solar PV plant, a 2 MW BESS, and a 10-mile dedicated transmission/evacuation line along the Gbarnga-Wainsue Lofa County Highway, with potential to increase project size contingent on funding support. By injecting clean power directly into the localized grid being managed by JEP, BCSS will reduce the frequencies of alternative expensive diesel generation by its customers, expand grid capacity, and stabilize voltage drops. 

2. TECHNICAL & ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS 

● Generation facility: 5 MW AC ground-mounted array using high-efficiency, tier-1 bifacial monocrystalline modules, with estimated 20 MW supply needs.. 

● Storage component: 2 MW / 4 MWh BESS to manage solar intermittency, support evening peak load injection, and provide automatic voltage regulation. 

● Evacuation line: 10 miles (16 km) of newly constructed 33 kV medium-voltage overhead transmission line running parallel to the Gbarnga-Wainsue Lofa County Highway. ● Grid interconnection: Dedicated step-down transformer and automated switching bay tying directly into the existing JEP/LEC Gbarnga city distribution terminal. 

3. COMMERCIAL, REGULATORY, & LEGAL FRAMEWORK 

● PPA structure: 20-year tripartite or nested Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Liberia Electric Power Services Inc. (Seller), JEP (Off-taker/Distributor), and LEC (Asset Owner). 

● Tariff mechanism: Cost-reflective wholesale tariff calculated to sit comfortably below JEP's current blended supply cost, creating a net financial benefit for the utility and end-consumers. 

● Licensing & permits: Governed by the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC). Applications for Independent Generation and Transmission Licenses are under preparation. 

● Land & ROW: Rights-of-Way (ROW) for the 10-mile corridor are to be cleared with the Ministry of Public Works (MPW). The solar site location will undergo leasehold boundary verification. 

4. FUNDING ARCHITECTURE & BLENDED CAPITAL STACK 

Tranche / Tier	Target Amount	Financial Instrument	Target Source	Strategic Allocation
Development support	USD $850,000 (10%)			FEED engineering,  Environmental Impact Assessment (ESIA), advanced grid studies.
Junior Equity	USD  $1,700,000			Core solar PV facility procurement and BESS

Tranche / Tier	Target Amount	Financial Instrument	Target Source	Strategic Allocation
	(20%)			storage integration.
Concessional Debt	USD  $2,975,000  (35%)			Civil construction of the 10-mile 33 kV highway transmission line asset.
Senior Debt	USD  $2,975,000  (35%)			Hardware distribution components,  transformers, and local civil labor.

5. DEVELOPMENT CO-BENEFITS & IMPACT Metrics 

● Clean energy access: Expands reliable grid capacity to thousands of residential, health & academic institutions (e.g., Bong County University, Cuttington University, Phebe Referral Hospital, Dunbar Hospital, etc), and agricultural production consumers. 

● Displaced emissions: Offsets an estimated 7,200 tons of CO2 equivalent per year by cutting residential/commercial and utility-scale diesel generator runtimes. 

● Fragility mitigation: Generates certified P-RECs, providing high-premium peace and development dividends to post-conflict economic zones in rural Liberia.