Joy for South Sudan energy provider celebrating its second anniversary

The Ezra Juba Power plant, located in Kondokoro Mangalla County, South Sudan, celebrated its second anniversary yesterday.

The power plant produces the bulk of the energy supplied to the Juba Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (JEDCO), the licensed electricity distributor in Juba.

It took the Ezra Construction & Development Group (ECDG), a subsidiary of the Ezra Group, just over two years to get the first phase of the plant running after being awarded the contract in August 2017. Currently celebrating its second anniversary, the power plant supplies over 30,000 homes and businesses in Juba.

The Ezra Group started operations in South Sudan in 2004. Today, Ezra Group Holdings, the parent company of five subsidiaries, is attempting to be a catalyst for change in South Sudan by transforming the country’s landscape. 

One of the Ezra Group’s most recent ventures has been the construction of the Ezra Independent Power Plant. The first phase of the plant was inaugurated at the end of 2019 by Salva Kiir Mayardit, president of South Sudan. ECDG has thus far invested $100 million in the Ezra Independent Power Plant, and this figure will rise to over $300m once the plant hits full capacity of 100MW. ECDG believes that the project will be a crucial step in the development of South Sudan.

In an effort to improve the lives of the residents of South Sudan, the group also runs an internship and skills development training programme for university students at the Ezra Power Plant in Kondokoro. The project aims to enhance the nation’s productivity through skills development and offer gainful employment for skilled and semi-skilled people.

The ECDG is also constructing two large barges to transport crude oil from Upper Nile (Paloch and Bentui) to the Ezra Power Plant in Mangalla County. According to ECDG, it is more cost-effective to use South Sudan’s crude oil rather than importing it.

The future of the Ezra Group may lie in solar power though. The Group is looking to invest in solar technology as South Sudan’s weather conditions are suited to this green energy source.

Natnael Ghebrengus Ezra, Operations Manager for the Ezra Group: “Ezra Construction & Development Group are currently working on the feasibility stage for incorporating solar energy into our energy offerings. This is our plan for 2022. There are many benefits to integrating solar energy as it will lead to reduced electricity costs and it’s better for the environment.”