South Sudan set to boost electricity as 100MW plant nears completion

JUBA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Thursday said the nearly complete 100 megawatt thermal power plant will help extend badly needed electricity to the capital and surrounding areas.

Dhieu Mathok Diing, the Minister for Electricity and Dams, told journalists that 100MW power plant being constructed by local company Ezra along the Nile River will help light up Juba and surrounding areas that have lacked electricity since the breakdown of the thermal generators operated by the country's public electricity utility.

The project which is estimated to cost over 200 million U.S. dollars will include building of schools, hospital and low-cost housing units to the local community.

Ezra construction group owned by Eritreans will own, operate the power plant soon to be opened in October for about 17 years and later on transfer ownership to the government under a partnership agreed upon by the two signatories.

South Sudan which is Africa's third largest oil producer expects the project upon completion to cut fuel costs as the consumption will drop from 6 million liters to 2 million liters of fuel, hence saving 4 million liters of fuel for operating generators on daily basis.