By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Ministry of Energy has in a press statement announced World Bank Grant of 13 Million United States dollars for the Electricity and Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA).
The grant according to the statement is an Additional Fund to the parent project which was approved in January 2021 and came into effect in March of the same year.
“The funding is structured to enhance the utility’s operations and help ensure the continuity of the distribution segment to “Keep the light on” following the increase of energy cost due to the Ukraine –Russia conflict,” he said.
Speaking to Politico, the Communication Expert at the Ministry Austin Luseni said the fund is to continue with the Energy Sector Utility Project that overhauls the existing network infrastructures along the Freetown Peninsula, Waterloo, and Wellington routes, to ensure efficient service delivery.
The fund came in the wake of inconsistent power supply across the city after the Turkish power supply ship dubbed Karpower Ship switched off supply due to an unpaid debt of $40 million.
The debt according to the Minister of Energy Alhaji Kanja Sesay in an interview with Reuters “was accrued over time because the government subsidizes more than half the cost of the ship charges per kilowatt hour.”
Copyright © 2023 Politico (18/09/23)
