Deputy Minister of Energy, Dr. Eldred Taylor, has on 11 February, 2023 at the commissioning ceremony of a mini grid facility in Daru praised the monumental and transformative energy strides of the New Direction administration in Kailahun district, stressing that the district would always be close to President Bio’s heart.
Welcoming the Deputy Minister and his entourage, Paramount Chief of Jawei Chiefdom, Musa Ngobula Kallon II, said his chiefdom was more than happy to play host to the delegation and to benefit from such an unprecedented and historic development.
He said with electricity, residents of Daru would realize their social and economic potentials, recalling how he had personally calmed residents who had expressed outrage at the delay in the commissioning of the project. PC Kallon described the occasion as a reward of the patience of the people.
While delivering his keynote address, Dr. Eldred Taylor said the facility installed at Daru is the second biggest in the country in terms of capacity after the one at Rutile and the biggest in Kailahun district.
He said Kailahun district was so close to the heart of President Bio that they had got the luxury of having 12 out of the 38 mini grid sites implemented by PowerGen, adding that the facility had a very strong and capable battery system that would enable it cater for the electricity needs of the people.
Dr. Taylor concluded by appealing to the people to own and protect the facility and assured them that their concerns over tariffs would be addressed. He lauded the efforts of the many residents who had striven to get connected to the mini grid.
Honorable Member of Parliament for Constituency 007, Hon. Quinton Salia Konneh, expressed delight at the prospects of having to see his constituency enjoy reliable electricity. He thanked President Bio for the development, noting that as a Member of Parliament in the area, he would never rest until his dreams of seeing a transformed Jawei were realized.
PowerGen Country Manager, Hassan Suma, gave a brief history of his company’s activities across the country and assured the people of how committed PowerGen was to providing sustainable and affordable electricity for the people.
He appealed to them to collaborate with authorities from the company by reporting cases of illegal abstraction of electricity.
Chairman Parliamentary Committee on Energy, Hon. Kekura Vandi, also spoke at the ceremony.
