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Gambiaj – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Businesses and the general public have expressed growing concerns over the National Water and Electricity Company’s (NAWEC) recurring power outages affecting numerous areas across the Gambia. The most affected regions include the majority of the West Coast region and the Greater Banjul Area, where severe electricity blackouts have disrupted daily life and business operations.
Over the past weekend, utility customers experienced significant water supply interruptions and power blackouts from Saturday through Monday. NAWEC’s Electricity Operations division has clarified that these disruptions are due to ongoing essential network renovations by contractors.
NAWEC management explained that the modernization project, which is still in progress, required the network to go offline for final testing. The contractor had requested an eight-hour shutdown, which was communicated to the public by NAWEC’s communications department.
Initial plans proceeded smoothly until the contractor encountered unforeseen technical issues, preventing the completion of the work within the planned time frame. Consequently, the repairs and updates had to be abandoned and resumed the next day.
Adding to the complications were severe technical difficulties and heavy rainfall. NAWEC management emphasized that staff safety could not be compromised by working in adverse weather conditions, necessitating a pause until the rain subsided.
Additionally, technical problems from the Senegalese power supplier to NAWEC’s Brikama branch contributed to the power outage.
NAWEC has announced that work has been temporarily halted and will resume over the upcoming weekend. Officials have acknowledged the setbacks and assured the public that they are optimistic about avoiding the dramatic outages experienced over the weekend.
As the modernization project continues, the challenge for NAWEC is to improve the reliability of the electricity and water supply, while striving to minimize future disruptions and ensure better service delivery to the nation.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) summoned the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) to a meeting on Wednesday, June 26th, 2024, to discuss the current intermittent power interruptions and shortages in the Greater Banjul Area and West Coast Region. This was prompted by public outcry over the recent protracted power cuts.
The meeting was an opportunity to get firsthand information from NAWEC on the reasons for the disruptions and the measures to mitigate the menace and minimize the burden on their consumers.
NAWEC officials, in their deliberations, cited the surge in demand during the summer, commensurate with loss in available capacity and the overloading of transformers, amongst others, as factors responsible for the power outages.
NAWEC has also informed the Authority of their plans for ongoing projects with a specific timeline to upgrade the power system, including lines and transformers, to handle the demand increase and improve service quality.
PURA has enjoined NAWEC to follow suit with the planned upgrades and mitigation measures, continue to inform its consumers of the developments taking place and address the current electricity woes. PURA assures the public that it will continue to engage NAWEC and the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the planned measures are fully implemented and that there is a smooth transition in transforming and upgrading the power system.
When the Banjul elders visited the president after the Eid prayer in 2022, the secretary to the committee did point out to the president the unreliable supply of electricity and the need to address the problem. It could be visibly seen that the president was not very happy with the comment and made a strong promise that such power outages would soon be matter of the past.
The fact remains of the frequency in general break down of the operations of NAWEC, more menacing power outages and very unreliable scheme of load shedding. It is stated without any challenge that the price of electricity is among the most expensive in the sub region yet the quality of supply is dropping to an unacceptable level. The government needs to take stock to tackle the sources of the problem. Electricity is vital not only for household consumption but also for running the economy. Industries and telecommunication networks all depend on electricity. Those who mill products or use welding machines rely on electricity to do their work. Unreliable electricity supply tends to limit economic development.
NAWEC informs the general public that Kanifing Feeder did develop some technical issues late yesterday night and is being isolated for troubleshooting and repairs.
Mazda, Gacem, Banjul Oxygen, GTTI, Nyambai, Jeshwang East and the surrounding.
We thank you for your usual understanding. The team will endeavor to complete the repairs as soon as possible and restore service. We apologize for the inconvenience
By:MomodouJustice Darboe
The National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) is still unable to offer an explanation to consumers as regards the excruciating power cuts that thousands of consumers in the Greater Banjul Area (GBA) have been experiencing for several days now.
Power supply has now become epileptic after a period of relatively stable supply and the development has been seriously affecting business activities and causing mental stress to thousands of consumers in the affected areas.
The national electricity company has been limping for several decades until it signed power purchase agreements with a Turkish energy companyKarpowershipandSenelecof Senegal.
Though scathingly criticized in lots of quarters as unsustainable, the power purchase agreements have greatly improved the electricity supply in the country for the past few years.
NAWEC has now relapsed into the pre-power purchase agreement. An erratic power supply is threateningly becoming the order of the day.
When contacted for comments on the current electricity situation in the GBA, the PRO of NAWEC, Pierre Sylva, said he would get back to us whenever he has details from the technicians.
"I am still finding out. I got your number and I will call once I get details from the technicians," he told The Voice.
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