President Salva Kiir - Credit: Office of the President

President Salva Kiir said on Wednesday his government has completed the construction of Nesitu Solar Power Plant to supply a capacity of 20 megawatts of electricity.

The head of state said the government is currently seeking financial support from Africa Development Bank to commission the power plant, probably in May.

“In regard to the provision of electricity, the government, through the Ministry of Energy and Dams has completed the Nesitu solar power plant which has a capacity 20 megawatt,” the president announced.

He was speaking during the reopening of the reconstituted transitional national legislature after nearly four-month recess.

Kiir, however, added that the government is yet to finalize funding of the project in order to commission it.

Kiir further stated that the Ministry of Energy and Dams is also planning to construct transmission lines from Uganda and Ethiopia in a bid to import electricity to the country.

“To improve the supplement on our power supply, we have sought the assistance of the African Development Bank to conduct feasibility study on two connection, transmission line from the Uganda to South Sudan.”

Kiir added that when the two projects are completed, South Sudan will have a reliable power supply.

The installation of the solar panels begun in May 2021 at South Sudan’s first solar farm.

Located along Nesitu-Torit Road, some 20 kilometers from the capital, Juba, the project is expected to generate 20 megawatts of electricity.

The Ministry of Energy and Dams contracted Egyptian company El Sewedy Electric in 2019 to build the country’s first large-scale photovoltaic power project.

South Sudan, one of the countries with the poorest electricity in the continent, relies mostly on fossil fuel for household electricity.

Currently, a fossil fuel power plant run by Ezra Development and Construction Company is supplying Juba with about 30 megawatts of electricity.