Bayelsa to Get 24-Hour Power Supply September
The Bayelsa State government yesterday assured residents that in the next nine months it would put a halt to the perennial power outage in the state, especially Yenagoa, the state capital, with the supply of 24-hour uninterrupted electricity by September.
Managing Director of the Bayelsa Electricity Company, Mr. Olice Kemenanabo, who gave the assurance while showcasing the activities of the Ministry of Power since the inception of the present administration, asked the people of the state to hold him personally responsible of plan does not materialise.
He blamed the current power outage in the state on cable theft and vandalism, but disclosed that all the Local Government Areas in the state had been successfully connected to the national grid.
Kemenanabo, an engineer, said efforts were being put in place towards achieving the target, which include upgrading of existing electricity transmission stations from 40 to 90 megawatts as well as ensure that the second mobile transformer functions optimally.
“We have upgraded the transmission from 40 to 90 MVA, we also want to work on the second mobile transformer to make sure that we have a second transmission station that will serve the eastern part of Bayelsa, then dedicate the supply from the 90 MVA for the central and western parts of the state.
By so doing, the constraints in the sector would be a thing of the past”, he explained.
According to him, the mobile transformer will serve as a second transmission station to service the eastern part of the state while the power generated from the 90 megawatts transmission station will be dedicated to cover the central and western parts of Bayelsa.
Kemenanabo also pointed out that the state government had signed an agreement with a private firm in December last year to provide a 5.26 megawatts power plant to boost power supply.
He explained that the power plant was being provided to service communities in the Agbere-Odoni axis not only to boost social activities but also for the economic emancipation of the area through the proposed industrial park.
In his comments, the Commissioner for Power, Chief Partner Jim-Ogbolo, said that in the last six years, government awarded 48 projects, out of which 23 had been completed while 25 are ongoing.