Statement by His Excellency the President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, at the launching of the final pre-commissioning test phase of the Bumbuna Hydro-electric project Bumbuna substation, Kingtom, on Thursday, 17th September 2009.
Fellow Citizens,
Distinguished members of the diplomatic and consular corps,
resident representatives of international finance and development organizations here present,
Today marks the beginning of the final stage of the fulfillment of a long-standing aspiration of the people of Sierra Leone - the completion of the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Project. This project has been in progress for the last 30 years and it would seem that it is the will of God that the party in power when it was begun would be the same party in power at its completion.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, you may recall that last April, after the Easter Holiday, I informed the nation on TV and radio broadcasts that the construction of Bumbuna Hydroelectric Project (BHP) was almost complete. I am happy to be here today to launch the final phase of testing which will continue for a few more weeks. During this period, the power generated by the plant will be increased gradually. Some of you would have already noticed an increase in the supply of electricity to your homes and businesses, albeit with some interruptions.
The Bumbuna Hydroelectric Project is a very complex technical system which requires thorough testing and adjustments before being put into full operation. The testing phase of the Plant has started and is almost complete. Most, if not all, of you here and the other residents of Freetown have been receiving power from Bumbuna without knowing it from the testing that has been going on for the last two weeks. During this period, there will definitely be intermittent interruptions of power supply which is inherent in all pre-commission tests. I therefore urge you to be patient and understanding.
An important aspect of the supply of electricity from Bumbuna Power Station is the availability of a reliable transmission and distribution network that will be capable of transmitting the volume of power generated from the station. To this end, Government has provided funds to rehabilitate the T&D network in order to improve the integrity of the National Power Authority transmission & distribution network, increase the amount of power that the network can carry and ensure maximum evacuation of power from the Bumbuna Project. The work is expected to be completed by early November; and, additionally, work on strengthening T&D is also going on with the assistance of the Japanese Government and the World Bank.
Ladies and Gentlemen, my commitment to the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Project has been total and unwavering since the day I assumed office exactly two years ago today. This commitment is based on my personal conviction that as a nation, we cannot turn the economy around and improve the standard of living of our fellow citizens without an adequate supply of energy that will provide uninterrupted power supply to industry, commerce and agriculture on a sustainable, affordable and reliable basis.
Very soon, I expect to undertake the formal commissioning of the Bumbuna Hydroelectric project, thereby signaling the completion of the construction and testing phases and the start of full commercial operations of the Bumbuna Plant. To underscore my commitment to the completion of this Project, I have visited the Bumbuna Project site and this substation here in Kingtom more times than all other Presidents combined. This is my fifth visit to this Kingtom location and I have made six visits to Bumbuna itself.
I am very happy to note that through the collective efforts of my Government and our development partners, the Bumbuna Project is on the verge of commissioning. I want to take the opportunity to thank our development partners, project contractors - Salini SAE PL, and the Consulting Engineers - Studio Pietrangeli for a job well done.
I also want to commend the Ministry of Energy & Water Resources and the Bumbuna Project Implementation Unit for their focus and dedication to ensure that the project is finally completed. This is the kind of selfless commitment to nation building that we must all emulate.
Most of all, I want to thank you my fellow citizens for your patience during the last three decades as we struggled to complete this project. The end is at hand and, as such, I ask you to exercise a little bit more patience while the Engineers go through the final testing phase.
On a final note, I want to take this opportunity to once again admonish all of us to protect our national assets and infrastructure. This is not the business of Government alone but all residents of this country. I want to particularly warn all those involved in illegal abstraction of electricity from the National Power Authority system to stop forthwith or risk the full penalty of the law. The funding for the construction of the Bumbuna Project was provided largely by various donors who are now keenly watching to see how best we can manage these unique national assets. I therefore entreat all to watch and expose anyone engaged in activities that will threaten the sustainability of the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Plant.
I now take the greatest pleasure to launch the final pre-commissioning test phase of the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Project.
I thank you all for your attention and may God bless us all.