The Gambian leader Barrow said the hydroelectric facility will also “drastically reduce erratic electricity supply in the country”.
Gambia’s current power supply access stands at 40 percent, according to Barrow.
“Consequently, generation capacity will also increase from 102 to 250 Mega Watts” he added.
Thousands of people had gathered for the launch of the project, which will be completed through the course of 18 months.
It is reputed to be environmentally-friendly and represents what the government called a significant shift in its energy production drive toward renewable energy.
Barrow said his government was introducing urgent measures to expeditiously plug the huge gap between energy demand and supply, with the maintenance and rehabilitation of engines and the acquisition of new ones as pivotal in this drive.
The energy grid will interconnect The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.
Covering 1677kms, it will have a transmission capacity of 80MW with an estimated cost of the $722 million.