By Saio Marrah
Electricity Service providers using mini-grids in provincial rural communities have blamed the frequent blackout on the too many illegal connectors that they say have surpassed the projected number of electricity users, resulting in the weakening of the batteries of the mini-grids.
This was disclosed by authorities at a Press Conference held at the Ministry of Energy in Freetown Monday 20th March 2023.
The Marketing Development Manager of Power Leone, one of the companies supplying electricity using mini-grids, Emmanuel Harding, said back in 2021they had recommended changing the batteries of the mini-grids for their various sites.
Kambia, Portloko, Moyamba, and part of Karene, districts. He pointed out that back in 2021.
He said electricity theft had reached over 50% and caused the weakening of the batteries, but said they were in a bidding process to purchase new batteries.
He attributed the delay in getting the batteries to the rigorous procurement procedures.
Hassan Suma the Country Manager of Powergen, another power provider said they have 39 sites in the south and parts of the eastern region and made reference to the Pendembu site, which he said had gone two months without electricity because the system could not cope with the number of subscribers that had exceeded the projected number.
According to him, initially when they went to the communities to do surveys most of the people rejected the programme saying it has always been the norm for past governments to do surveys without tangible outcomes.
Now that the project is working, he said more people want the service, but the system is not built for such a huge number of subscribers.
He said some people are doing illegal connections through subscribers and at the end of the day, pay the person that is legally connected. He also admitted that they will have to expand the system and replace the batteries.
He disclosed that the batteries will take about three months just to get mature after manufacturing.
Suma said the Moriba town in Daru is the more prevalent site where illegal connection has worsened.
While admitting that some of the illegal connections are being done by their own current and former staff in communities, he also pointed out that ordinary people do it themselves.
He said overloading is done to an extent that a system built for 2,000 households is now serving over 4,000 households through illegal connections.
He noted that they had learned to add another extra 50% when embarking on the next expansion so that such occurrences of overloading will not happen in the future.
The Chief Executive Officer of Future Learning Service (FLS) Power, an indigenous company, Ing. Lansana Foday said among other things, they have a problem with access to the mini-grid in Gbinti as the people have taken ownership of the facility.
He said the existing system was a charitable service to the people and that they use to pay only 10 Leones to the Paramount Chief for a monthly subscription per household.
Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay, earlier informed journalists and the four mini-grid operators that through the process, the government has been able to increase access to energy and transform the economy of those in the rural communities. There have been widespread complaints about frequent blackouts, especially where the largest mini-grid electricity service provider Powergen, operates.
He said from President Julius Maada Bio’s ongoing tour around the country it has been revealed that people indeed appreciate the electrification of the rural communities, but there have been also been concerns raised about the performance of the mini-grids.
The minister also shared his experience following a visit to Pendembu in which people told him about the unstable condition of electricity and that even in his presence; power went off around 9:10 at night.
He said energy is being discussed as national security where the President is the Chairman of that Committee, noting that blackout could pose a threat to the safety and security of the people.
The tariff the minister acknowledged is high but people are demanding it and he, therefore, cautioned the service providers to give the people what they pay for.
He also highlighted an electricity audit that is presently taking place throughout the country is being carried out by the energy ministry.
The ministry has undertaken to procure all the needed batteries on behalf of the mini-grid operators and has asked the operators to state the type of batteries they want for their various sites in view of the many challenges highlighted by mini-grid operators in procuring the batteries.
Wonch Energy is the other company that is providing mini-grid energy in rural communities in provinces through mini-grid.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (22/03/23)
