By Mabinty M. Kamara
The symbiosis between electricity supply and modern society is like the human body and the blood vessels. It is a relationship in which one could hardly survive without the other. However, in Sierra Leone either this relationship has over the years not been recognized by the relevant authorities or it is being perceived as a right for the privileged few who can afford it. But my prayers are that by 2021, they will wake up to the realization of this relationship and make things better for the good of Sierra Leone.
The relevance and use
The relevance and importance of electricity in modern society cannot be overemphasized as it is a necessity of life in this age and which invariably qualifies it as a right to be accorded citizens and not an opportunity for the privileged few.
Efficient electricity supply in homes is pivotal as it does not only bring the family together in terms of infotainment through watching news and movies and the children to be able to study conveniently, but serves also as a storage facility for food stuff. The latter use minimizes the labor and constraints on many homes when it comes to going to the market on a daily basis especially for families where both spouses go to work. For many families it has been a source of finance and livelihood through the sale of refrigerated water, beverages and other drinks.
In hospitals, clinics and health units, electricity is as important as the drugs administered to the patient. Some patients risk death within seconds in the event of a sudden power cut especially those going under the knife in the theatre. And such is the importance of electricity that certain drugs, vaccines and equipment need an uninterrupted supply to maintain their potency and efficiency.
Recently, there was news of somebody having died at a hospital as a result of power cut in the middle of a surgery. This is not an isolated case as many others have been reported and in some cases especially at the peripheral units, patients have been treated using mobile phone torchlights and in some instances relatives are asked to buy fuel to light up generators for treatment at hospitals. Not being able to provide money for that in time means you risk losing your loved one.
Big, Small and Medium scale businesses need efficient power supply for their businesses to thrive, especially those that are struggling to stand on their own. Without the financial muscle to foot the constant fuel bill for the power generators to keep running, not to talk of the environmental consequences caused from the release of carbon monoxide, they are in peril. Students and teaching staff in schools and universities need electricity for ease of learning, research and compilation of educational materials.
Problem
However, Sierra Leone as a country has not been able to thrive in this direction despite strides made by successive governments. Access, affordability and supply remain a challenge for efficient electricity distribution, making it difficult for us as a country to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 which says that by 2030, universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services should be ensured.
In addition to the Bumbuna hydro dam that supports the supply of electricity in some parts of the country, in June 2018 the Sierra Leone national utility company called the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA), the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Finance signed an agreement with the management of the Turkish company, Karadeniz Energy Group, owners of the Karpowership 1 and 2. The agreement was to deploy a Powership for the supply of 30 MW of energy for seven months and 15 MW for 5 months, covering a period of three years. The First Powership “Karadeniz Powership Doğan Bey” has been in operation in Kroo Town Bay / Freetown since then. The Powership 2, which was stationed at Cline Town to supply electricity to the east of Freetown, later departed Freetown after the contract was not extended. Soon I will explain why the no-extension.
Now, all of these measures could still not solve the situation as many communities with access to electricity have often complained of low voltage that could barely light up a television. A typical case is Magnus Street in Wellington where the voltage is so low that it is of no use to residents there, a problem Politico has consistently reported on. This is not just an isolated case, as there are many other communities in such situations.
Access
Unlike in some other West African countries, access to electricity remains a huge challenge in Sierra Leone. It is mostly accessed by those in big towns and cities across the country depriving those in remote communities. Thanks to the privatization of the prepaid meters, getting them in the first place used to be a huge challenge for many people. In parts of the urban settlements, most of the old and newly established communities are without transformers.
Affordability
Affordability of electricity has been another contentious issue over the years for many people. The advent of the prepaid metre system in Sierra Leone was a glimmer of hope to many because there were reports of irregularities in terms of billing, which many found to be suspect. However, with the new metres issues have arisen as well over the recent increment in EDSA tariffs, with many people expressing concerns.
Possible solutions
Despite the challenges, the Energy Minister has in a bid to ensure access to electricity supply personally witnessed the installation of transformers across the country, a drive that got historic places like Bathurst Village to light up for the first time since the mountain rural settlement was founded more than 200 years ago.
The long-awaited energy supply from the West Africa Power Pool Project (WAPP) is still on course, and according to officials they are close to completion despite the coronavirus pandemic, which affected its target date initially scheduled for this December.
The West Africa Power Pool project aims to provide electricity to the four Mano River Union countries of Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Guinea. When completed, it will bring reliable and affordable electricity to these countries which have had a perennial problem with electricity, especially outside their capitals.
The engineer in charge, Paul Charles Saffa says they could not complete the project because the Technical expert who should have travelled to Sierra Leone is yet to come because, according to him, the completion date of the project has been deferred by another twelve weeks.
When this project eventually completes it will go a long way in salvaging the perennial electricity problem in Sierra Leone.
Moreover, EDSA should also try to reduce the loads on transformers in communities that have expanded with time, making the power voltage very low for use by the end users. They should also repair and maintain outdated cables as noted by the communications expert attached to the Ministry of Energy, Austin Lusaini. He said issues of low voltage had to do with the fact that most communities have expanded both in terms of population and appliances, and that the cables have over the years become old hence efficient power supply becomes a challenge in those communities.
However, Austin said that with the World Bank-funded Energy Sector Utility Reform Project, they have been overhauling those aged cables across Freetown.
All of these issues highlighted can only be addressed if the necessary authorities are able to understand the electricity needs of the people that voted for them or in whose interest they are employed to work and get paid.
Efforts by Politico to talk to the Ministry of Energy on the plans for electricity in the country in the New Year proved futile.
But back to the issue of Karpowership 2, the EDSA communications man Austin said that in the last two to three weeks they had connected all the underlying cables through to Cline Town. “So we thought it fit that there was no need for us to have a Karpowership2 because the one itself generates about 50 megawatts [while] Bumbuna gives us 20 megawatts” in the dry season. With the sun now shining, he said keeping the second power ship here would be a waste of taxpayers’ money.
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