Sierra Leone hit by power cuts after Turkish power ship switches off supply

Karadeniz Powerships KPS Orka Sultan, KPS LNG Anatolia and KPS Orhan Ali Khan are pictured at Altinova port in the Gulf of Izmit, Turkey October 3, 2022. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik/File photo

FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's capital Freetown has been hit by power cuts after Turkey's Karpowership switched off the electricity supply due to an unpaid debt of around $40 million, the energy minister said on Friday.

Minister Kanja Sesay told Reuters that the outstanding amount "was accrued over time because the government subsidises more than half the cost the ship charges per kilowatt hour".