USAID-Funded Electrification Project Inaugurated in Kapoeta
USAID-Funded Electrification Project Inaugurated in Kapoeta
Kapoeta, Eastern Equatoria State
February 4, 2011
On Friday, February 4, 2011, officials from the United States Government and the Government of Southern Sudan join Eastern Equatoria state authorities and members of the Kapoeta community to inaugurate the town’s first power generation and electricity distribution system. The Kapoeta community participated during the construction phase of the project, taking part in stakeholder meetings to decide on the type of utility to be built, and providing most of the local labor force for construction activities, including electricity line construction, in lieu of hiring electrical contractors from outside Sudan. The project also utilized local materials from Kapoeta, such as sand and aggregate.
This is the second electrification project in southern Sudan funded by the American people. The first such project, in Yei, was completed in 2008. USAID will inaugurate a third electrification project in Maridi town in Western Equatoria state on February 23, 2011.
The U.S. Consul General in Juba, Ambassador R. Barrie Walkley, and the Governor of Eastern Equatoria state, H.E. Louis Lobong, will officiate at the event, which will also be attended by Government of Southern Sudan Minister for Energy and Mining H.E. Garang Diing Akuong.
The Kapoeta project is implemented by USAID partner the Louis Berger Group, in partnership with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The project comprises construction of power generation and distribution facilities, customer connections, establishment of a utility, and training of utility staff. Training provided in Kapoeta covered commercial and technical aspects such as meter reading and billing, accounting, linemen skills, and human resource and customer relations, among others.
With a generation capacity of 894-kilowatts, the Kapoeta plant can serve about 900 customers and already has materials available to initially install 725 service connections. Approximately 20km of primary and secondary lines have been completed that will provide a backbone for future expansion. In addition to its local business community and residents, Kapoeta town hosts nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), small-scale businesses and traders that operate along the town’s main streets and within the market and are the potential major consumers of the power. Other customers include institutions such as schools, medical facilities, and government offices. Provision of electricity in Kapoeta will enhance security through street lighting, promote economic activity through more flexible hours of trade, and provide convenience to households, including for students studying after dark.
USAID funding for the Kapoeta project, including training and project oversight by USAID implementing partners, will be approximately $4 million at completion in approximately September 2011. USAID funding to southern Sudan’s energy sector overall since 2005 totals approximately $20 million. The United States is the single largest donor to Sudan, contributing nearly $10 billion in assistance to Sudan and eastern Chad since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. For more information on USAID programs in Sudan, please visit www.usaid.gov/sudan.