Liberia expands Mount Coffee solar park with $57m World Bank funding

Liberia has secured $57 million from the World Bank to expand the Mount Coffee Solar Park and deploy battery energy storage systems, as part of a broader $125 million financing package aimed at accelerating national development.

The funding flows through the Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project (RESPITE), a programme designed to address one of Liberia’s most persistent economic constraints: an unreliable electricity grid. The country will use RESPITE financing to grow the Mount Coffee Solar Park — located on the Saint Paul River and already one of Liberia’s most significant power assets — from 20 MW to 30 MW.

Alongside the capacity expansion, the government will deploy Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to stabilise supply and allow greater volumes of renewable energy to feed into the national grid. Grid-scale battery storage is increasingly central to power strategies across sub-Saharan Africa, where intermittent generation and weak transmission infrastructure have historically limited the impact of new capacity additions.

The project also includes upgrades to Liberia’s electricity transmission and distribution networks, as well as modernisation of infrastructure at the broader Mount Coffee energy complex. The government says these interventions are intended to improve operational efficiency and build long-term resilience into the power system.

The remaining portion of the $125 million World Bank package — beyond the $57 million earmarked for RESPITE — will be directed toward digital connectivity and road infrastructure, reflecting a multi-sector approach to economic development.

For investors and operators tracking West Africa’s renewable energy landscape, the project signals continued appetite for grid infrastructure plays in markets where power access remains a binding constraint on growth. RESPITE is expected to create procurement and construction opportunities for engineering, technology, and renewable energy companies, while the government has indicated it intends to use the programme to deepen private sector participation in Liberia’s clean energy market.

Liberia’s power sector has long struggled with low generation capacity and limited grid coverage. Initiatives such as RESPITE, backed by multilateral financing, represent the primary vehicle through which fragile power markets in the region are attracting capital and technical expertise at scale.

No private operators or contractors have been publicly identified for the project at this stage.