The first turbine and generator for the Nant Energy Project arrived in Freetown over the weekend, marking a significant milestone in efforts to expand Sierra Leone’s electricity generation capacity, the U.S. Embassy has announced.

The project, financed by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), is expected to begin power generation in early 2027. Once completed, the 108.4 megawatt dual-fuel plant will nearly double the country’s current electricity generation capacity, providing reliable baseload power to the national grid under a 22-year Power Purchase Agreement with the government and the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA).

“This project, financed by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, exemplifies the U.S. Government’s commitment to fostering trade and investment partnerships in Africa,” the U.S. Embassy in Freetown said in a statement. “Through collaboration built on innovation, we are creating opportunities that benefit both American businesses and Sierra Leone.”

The Nant Power Project reached financial close in November 2024, securing $292 million in senior debt financing from the DFC, $40 million from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, and $85 million in equity from sponsors TCQ Power and Anergi Group. The DFC has also provided political risk insurance for the project.

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The plant, Sierra Leone’s first large-scale independent power producer (IPP), is under construction at the Kissy Terminal in eastern Freetown using Siemens combined-cycle gas turbine technology. It is designed as a multi-fuel facility, initially running on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or diesel, with plans to transition to imported U.S.-sourced LNG once a dedicated terminal is developed.

In June 2025, the Government of Sierra Leone and project sponsors signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the first U.S.-sourced LNG terminal in West Africa, which would further reduce energy costs and position Sierra Leone as a strategic energy gateway for the region.

U.S. Ambassador Bryan David Hunt previously described the project as one that “brings opportunities to communities across the nation,” adding that its effects “will be profound” . According to the DFC, the project accounts for the largest increase in energy capacity in a single country of any prior DFC investment.

Abu Kamara, General Manager of the Nant Power Project, has stated that the facility will “strengthen national energy security and promote economic growth by providing more reliable power”. It is expected to supply approximately 60 percent of Freetown’s electricity demand.

First power is anticipated in the third quarter of 2027, with the plant expected to operate for 22 years under the government agreement. The project represents one of the largest private infrastructure investments in Sierra Leone’s history, equivalent to roughly 5 percent of the country’s GDP.