The Republic of South Sudan has recently launched a power plant in order to boost access to the electricity supply in the country.
The relative peace in parts of South Sudan is now providing some dividends to residents. About 400 kilometres northwest of Juba, the town of Rombe has got electricity for the first time in 10 years.
The power plant could not be maintained due to long years of civil war in the country.
“The engineers came and they work on the generators, there was something that was missing. They were fixed and some new poles were put in place now the power is on. It is now running unwell and the town is connected”, an official said.
A power plant fired by diesel generators was built with funds automated by Egypt Trinity Energy Limited. A South Sudanese company is operating the power plant on behalf of the Local Government. It will provide electricity to the town’s 17,000 residents.
South Sudan has one of the lowest numbers of people accessing electricity. The World Bank says only about 8 percent of the country’s 13 million people have access to electricity.
Experts say a hydro-power plant is the best option for South Sudan in terms of ease of continued operation and maintenance South student government says it doesn’t have enough funds to pay for such a project.
They are relying on an international partner for smaller-scale operations like this one.
Read Also:The High Cost of Clean Energy: Cobalt Mining in Congo Fuelling Both Energy and Human Suffering
“The engineer from Egyptian is on the ground and they will be here for one year. So that they really see if there are things, that come up, they are here to ensure that, they have to work on it as a form of insurance”, an official added.
Read Also:Oil Prices Bounce after OPEC Enhances China Demand
Business owners like shopkeeper Ali Adams say a reliable electricity supply will make a big difference for their businesses.
“The first problem is that I spent a lot of money on fuel for my generator and at times before, the things I have in the fridge have become cold. The fuel is over. So the government power is solving a lot of our problems”, Businessman said in a statement.
The residents say they do not care whether the electricity is from generators or hydropower. They now have the electricity they have been waiting for years.
South Sudan’s government says it plans to take similar projects to major towns across the country.
