By Mustapha Sesay
The Bumbuna hydroelectric power station, which is responsible for electricity supply to the capital city Freetown, has been shut down, an official said Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) said the station was shutdown on Monday and it would remain out of service for 10 days while routine maintenance was undertaken.
Sahr Daniel Nepor, Public Relation Officer of EDSA, told Politico the thermal plants at the Kingtom power station and Blackhall Road would be used as alternative sources of power to the city until the Bumbuna hydro was fully serviced and back in operation. He noted that they would continue with their normal distribution plan to supply electricity to the capital and that they would try as best as possible to minimize power outages.
“We have sent notice to our valued customers to get them prepared for the inconvenience during this 10 days period because electricity supply will not be regular as its use to be,” he said.
But even before this shut down of the main hydro plant, Freetown had been subjected to frequent power outages. Yet a good number of the city’s residents rely on electricity to make ends meet by selling things like cold water, assorted drinks and other commodities. For them this shutdown of Bumbuna is sure to add more challenges to their already unstable business situation.
At the Government Warf, situated along the coast line of Freetown, a place that seems as semi Yogurt factory where electricity is treasure because of the nature of business they do, people were disturbed to learn that there would be 10 days shutdown of the main hydro plant. To them this means continuous disruption in their business.
Mackiya Contch, one of the women who rely on the yogurt business for survival, shouted in dismay when she learnt that there would be power shortage for 10 days.
“This is next to death. All our businesses will get spoilt. And I don’t even know that Bumbuna will be off,” she lamented.
Abdulai Bangura echoed her from the other side of the factory. “No light no survival,” he shouted, adding, “and we don’t even have generator, we only depended on the government light for our business.”
Mary Conteh, from among a circle of young men and women who had gathered to hear the bad news, said in a solemn ton: “It is good that they have notified us. So we can know how to use the current.”
They narrated that even before now there had been no frequent electricity supply and that they sometimes do without electricity for days. But, they noted, they had been managing and they had also ensured that they paid their bills regularly.
Electricity generation and supply have not only been the problem for the Energy Ministry, but also access to credit for the prepaid meters has become a major issue. It has been a painstaking challenge for most customers. Some people spend days on queue just to buy credits for their meters.
Nepor said they were only having problem with one of the brands of the prepaid meters which customers were finding difficult to recharge. This, he said, was because the server was situated in Poland and that most of the problems have been emanating from the source.
(C) Politico 18/05/16
