High-level delegation visits EM-ONE's mini-grids in Sierra Leone
Freetown, Sierra Leone — December 5, 2024 - Last week in Freetown, a high-level delegation of government officials and donors - including the Vice President of Sierra Leone Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Minister of Health & Sanitation Dr. Austin Demby, British High Commissioner, Josephine Gauld, and SEforALL’s CEO Damilola Ogunbiyi - visited our microgrid sites at the Ola During Children's Hospital & Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH & ODCH).
These two sites are part of an impactful portfolio of 42 solar microgrids we are delivering across Sierra Leone to power hospitals and clinics. The portfolio has a total capacity of 4 MWp of solar capacity and 7.3 MWh of energy storage and is supported by funding from the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) through Sustainable Energy for ALL (SEforALL). The entire portfolio will be delivered by March 2025.
High-level delegation of government officials, donors and stakeholders - including Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Damilola Ogunbiyi (SEforALL), Mir Islam (EM-ONE), Josephine Gauld (British High Commission), Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Dr. Austin Demby (Ministry of Health & Sanitation). - Photo credit ©SEforALL
Context
Sierra Leone grapples with severe electricity shortages, with only 27.5% of the population having access to power. This lack of reliable energy critically hampers the ability of hospitals and community health centers (CHCs) to deliver effective healthcare, putting lives at risk and leading to poor health outcomes. An estimated 1,000 health facilities require either a complete power solution or a reliable backup source.
The Sierra Leone Hospital Electrification project, implemented by EM-ONE in partnership with SEforALL, Tetra Tech and Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health & Sanitation, funded by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), is a groundbreaking initiative transforming healthcare across the country.
Aerial view of Ola During Children's Hospital & Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH & ODCH) minigrids with energy storage. - Photo credit ©EM-ONE
Project Overview:
4 MWp of solar capacity and 7.3 MWh of energy storage by March 2025.
40+ health facilities powered with sustainable energy.
Phase 1: Solar + storage microgrids delivered at six major hospitals, including PCMH & ODCH, a combined capacity of 797 kWp of solar PV and 1497 kWh energy storage, commissioned in December 2023.
Phase 2: Solar + storage microgrids delivered at 1 general hospital and 18 Community Health Centers (CHCs), a combined capacity of 300 kWp of PV and 600 kWh energy storage, being commissioned in January 2025.
Phase 3: Solar + storage microgrids being delivered at 11general hospitals, a combined capacity of 2.9 MWp PV capacity and 5.2 MWh energy storage, which will be commissioned by March 2025.
Female STEM Capacity Building: Trained 24 female recent STEM graduates in partnership with SEforALL on the sustainable energy project lifecycle to build local capacity in renewable energy.
These efforts have significantly enhanced healthcare delivery, ensuring uninterrupted power for critical medical equipment, refrigeration for vaccines, and round-the-clock facility operations.
High-level delegation visit
The high-level delegation visit took place in Freetown on December 5th. During the visit, EM-ONE’s CEO, Mir S Islam, welcomed esteemed guests, including the Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh; Dr. Kandeh Yumkella; Minister of Health & Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby; British High Commissioner, Josephine Gauld; SEforALL’s CEO, Damilola Ogunbiyi; and representatives from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
EM-ONE’s CEO Mir Islam presenting the system to Dr. Austin Demby (Ministry of Health & Sanitation) Damilola Ogunbiyi (SEforALL), Mir Islam (EM-ONE), Josephine Gauld (British High Commission), Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh - Photo credit ©SEforALL
EM-ONE’s CEO, Mir Islam spoke about the transformative impact of the project, emphasizing collaboration, sustainability, and innovation. He also highlighted the project's contributions to climate goals and local capacity building, including the training of 24 female STEM graduates through EM-ONE’s partnership with SEforALL.
“Reliable power is a critical enabler to transform the quality of healthcare delivery. Through our expertise in engineering and technology, we were able to rapidly and sustainably electrify the health facilities that have benefitted from this intervention. We are supporting healthcare, global climate goals, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and setting an example for sustainable development.
Our work in Sierra Leone demonstrates the power of collaboration. The unwavering support and leadership of the donor collaborations and subject matter experts for the ultimate success of this initiative. We are creating scalable, impactful change in healthcare and energy.
We are not just powering buildings. We are powering lives.”
The Sierra Leone Healthcare Electrification Project exemplifies how renewable energy can address critical infrastructure needs. With the unwavering support of SEforALL, local government and international funding, EM-ONE is paving the way for sustainable energy solutions that can be replicated across Sierra Leone and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Photo credit ©EM-ONE & SEforALL
Project Partners
Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organization that works in partnership with the United Nations, leaders in government, the private sector, financial institutions, civil society and philanthropies to drive faster action toward the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which calls for universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate warming in line with the Paris Agreement on climate.
EM-ONE is a renewable energy service company (RESCO) with over a decade of experience advancing the sustainable energy transition in Africa. Our expertise in engineering and technology has enabled us to successfully design and build over 320 solar microgrids across West Africa, with a total PV capacity of 20 MWp and energy storage capacity of 90 MWh. We are now currently scaling up our impact with plans to deploy 350 MWp of renewable energy capacity across the region, in partnership with REA and the World Bank.
