By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
At the Government press briefing on Tuesday 26th Match 2024, Joe Lahai Sormana, the Director General of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Agency (EDSA) has revealed the successes in the energy sector over the years and the challenges that are preventing EDSA from supplying 24 hours light in the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown.
EDSA Director General began by clarifying the primary mandate of EDSA in which he said it is to distribute and supply electricity, adding that they don’t generate light.
He intimated that the Agency supplies light to the public by buying electricity.
“We buy and sell; we don’t generate light,” he said.
EDSA Director General recalled that the Agency came about after the passing of the 2011 act. During that period, he said three entities came up as power generators and transmitters, having EDSA as distributor and supplier.
At the press briefing, EDSA Director General revealed that when His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio took power in 2018, there was only about 52 megawatts power and 194,000 customers. Based on the increase in demand he said they now have 72 megawatts power and 320,000 customers.
“So, there has been an increase in electricity access from 16 percent to 36 percent, DG Joe Lahai affirmed.
As one of the challenges for supplying electricity Director Joe Lahai reinforced that there has been a huge increase of electricity demand in Freetown. He frantically disclosed that the rehabilitation and expansion the Agency had been embarking on so far has not met up to the growing demands. The DG statistically stated that the demand had grown up to about 120 to 130 in Freetown.
Based on his technically experience, he revealed that the current network that would allow safe consumption of electricity in Freetown is 70 to 75 megawatts of power.
He continued that if the entire Freetown is to have light at the same time for 24 hours, EDSA would need to distribute like 120 megawatts of power. “But if I look to the demand and mistakenly go above the current available network of 70 to 75 megawatts for 24 hours a day we might not have a network,” he revealed.
The EDSA Director affirmed that those were the realities and unless they have to manage to ensure a safe and longer serving system. He said as a Government they understood that light is a fundamental human right and the Government is working assiduously to ensure that there is light for everyone.
“The Government has actually provided more light but there is more demand for light,” he said.
In ensuring that there is safer and longer electricity distribution in the capital, the EDSA Director General made mentioned of the network line currently being passed by the Wellington highway. He assured that after the completion of that network system by June, it would address some of the issues.
As another major contending issue being faced by EDSA, hindering the 24 hours light generation, Director Joe Lahai said they only have one injection point. He assured that having a second injection point would make a lot of positive impact in providing adequate electricity in the capital.
He said the other challenge is power theft which he alleged that many people are engaging on. He said they buy power electricity in dollars and sell in Leones which is very challenging for them. He assured that advanced measures had been put in place to track those people. He added that in some community’s people engage in vandalizing their materials. He said they cut and stole cables, uproot transformers which cause a lot of destruction.
EDSA DG categorically revealed that no matter who comes to the country there is always the possibility that the entire Freetown could not get light at the same time at this very moment. He however said they are on the right path and assured to succeed but said it would take some time.
EDSA Director General Joe Lahai said EDSA is running business as he said they buy and sell electricity. He added that there is no business person who will buy a product and would not want to sell to customers. “In fact, EDSA makes more money if there is continuous light and incurs a loss when there is no light,” he said.
