- Ag. Dep. GM
June 14, 2016 By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
Acting Deputy Director General of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Agency (EDSA) has disclosed that they collect Le15 billion per month, as against Le8.5 billion that the defunct National Power Authority used to collect.
Dr. Henry Saccoi made the disclosure yesterday at his Electricity House office on Siaka Steven Street in Freetown, while briefing journalists on the functions and achievements of EDSA since they started operation in January, 2015.
He said top of their achievement within a short period of time had been a significant increase in revenue collection from electricity bills, from Le8.5 billion to Le15bn.
He explained that due to challenges faced by the defunct National Power Authority (NPA) in providing regular electricity to the capital, Freetown, a National Electricity Act was promulgated in 2011 which saw the unbundling of the vertically integrated NPA into two entities – the Electricity Generation and Transmission Company (EGTC) and the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA).
He told journalists that since 2015 they have made significant changes and that the 2011 Act divided the functions of the energy sector, adding that one of the achievements of the current government was the setting-up of a Board of Directors for EDSA.
He added that the directors were drawn from various institutions including the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Association of Manufacturers, Association of Bankers and Association of Professional Engineers, among others.
He said they have set-up the one-stop shop with a view of helping customers, adding that before now it took months for consumers to have metres installed at his residence.
He averred that metres could now be installed in less than three weeks and that they have been able to reduce commercial and technical losses at the sector.
He said the EDSA had installed new transformers to help improve electricity supply, followed by the installation of over 10,000 prepaid metres in Freetown, adding that they have hired agents to collect revenue on the authority’s behalf.
“Another big achievement we have also made is the kickstart of some long standing projects, including STEG, a Tunisian company that is installing electric poles and JICA, which is an Africa Development Bank financed Japanese project. We have also registered our customers,” he said.
Dr Saccoi said that they have electrified Gondama Barracks in Bo and Magburaka, and that plans were underway to connect other parts of the country to the national grid.
Also, a Board of Director, Ibrahim Kabia said EDSA was responsible for the supply, distribution and retail sale of electricity for the entire country with the exception of areas for which the Commission has issued distribution licenses to appropriately qualified entities.
He explained that such entities have responsibility to dispatch and control electricity supply within their respective territory, establish uniform standard voltages, secure the supply of electricity at reasonable rates, carry on any business usually associated with electricity distribution and supply, promote and encourage the economic and efficient use of electricity, especially for domestic, commercial, agricultural, industrial and manufacturing purposes, and perform any other functions incidental or consequential to its functions under the 2011 Act.