By Binta Jaieth
The National Water and Electricity Company has highlighted recent cause of power interruption in Greatest Banjul and vowed to resolve the matter with a upcoming project.
Speaking to reporters Thursday during a site visit organised by the management of the NAWEC, Pierre Sylva, Public Relations Officer of NAWEC said in December 2020 during that period two feeders plus the borehole were decongested from Bijilo. Unfortunately, he added, in August 2020 it has defects and the engineers and contractors figured out what is the problem.
He noted that the engineers and contractors realised that it was beyond repair in the Gambia as it has to be transported to India.
Mr Sylva further explained after some necessary works and observation the transformer finally flew to India and to procure another transformer “but this are materials that are not ready-made you have to take the type of specification. This transformer is 5 megawatts at the moment the contractor is in India and the specification is given and the transformer is made and next week according to plans they will transport it to The Gambia.”
He disclosed that “there are too many complaints from the public that is why we decided to invite the media for the public to see what we are doing, NAWEC is developing. But there are some financial constraints but the multi-lateral institutions are giving us projects to be able to go this far since 2017.
However, he said: “it is sad to say when we are progressing some Gambians are dragging us back our boreholes are in the forest, people cut the cables and then the boreholes are rendered no service.”
He urged Gambians to desist from this kind of destructive attitude in as much as NAWEC is trying to give them much needed services is also important to safeguard the gadgets they are using to provide those services.
He therefore apologised to the Gambians especially the people of Bijilo power station as it is an unfortunate scenario which there is nothing they can do as they are materials that they cannot procure in the country.
Benedit Jarju, quality and standard manager distribution and transmission department said: Bijilo sub station and the station is one of the 7 bulks supply points that they have within the NAWEC network.
“Bijilo is a central area that provides energy to some parts of the areas, it has capacity of 15 megawatts and this 15 are around the limits. We created a new substation in Jabang so that part of the overload can be shifted to Jabang,” he explained
He added that they have two transmissions that are inter-connected feeder 3 from Kotu, noting that they have 4 feeders in Bijilo. “Presently there are projects that are coming all supply points will have two transformers that will run,” he disclosed.