Juba In Darkness As Broke Kiir Gov’t Fails To Pay Power Supplier
South Sudan’s main electricity provider will stop supplying power to the national grid after the government failed to allocate the foreign exchange it needs for operations.
The Ezra Construction and Development Group supplies 33 megawatts to the Juba Electric Distribution Co., for which it is paid in foreign exchange.
The government is contractually obliged to allocate Jedco hard currency as it collects payments in South Sudan pounds.
“Since the plant was commissioned, the Ezra Group has been allocated less than 15% of the total amount,” the company said in an emailed statement on Sunday.
“The company has now exhausted every possible means to keep the plant operational, including loans against assets, credit supplies and letters of credit.”
Ezra said it would shut down its plant on Jan. 12.
South Sudan’s foreign exchange reserves have dropped amid lower prices of oil, its biggest source of income.