The first batch of planned power-on areas of the Juba power distribution project in South Sudan started receiving power Nov 21. South Sudan President Salva Kiir attended the celebration ceremony for the project which was built by Sinohydro Bureau 5 Co, a subsidiary of POWERCHINA.
The president said that China has become South Sudan's most important economic and trade partner, and has brought tremendous changes to South Sudan, especially in terms of infrastructure construction.
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Sudan President Salva Kiir delivers a speech at the celebration ceremony. [Photo/POWERCHINA] |
He spoke highly of the project to construct South Sudan's national energy network, and said he was looking forward to improved prospects for East African countries, especially South Sudan, in using water, wind and solar energy to produce clean energy.
In the future, South Sudan will promote the construction of electric power, continue to attract foreign investment, and provide more policy support for enterprises to build a complete national power supply system at an early date, he added.
Located in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, the project is the country's first and largest energy construction project since it became independent in 2011, and it is also its core livelihood project.
Generally contracted by POWERCHINA by engineering procurement construction (EPC) form, the project included the design, procurement, installation and commissioning of 13,450 telegraph poles, 520 kilometers of low-voltage lines, five new customer service centers, the expansion of a substation, as well as the installation of 2,250 street lights.
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Sudan President Salva Kiir thanks with the project manager. [Photo/POWERCHINA] |
Construction of the project started Dec 22, 2016. The current power-on area comprises 28 stations of the Feeder A and Feeder B branch lines, with about 50 kilometers of transmission lines.
The Juba distribution network project is a project implemented by POWERCHINA in response to the country's Go Global Strategy and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Sinohydro Bureau 5 Co's outstanding performance was highly praised by the South Sudan government and people from all walks of life. It has set an example for other Chinese-funded enterprises and boosted confidence in investing in southern Africa.
During the construction period, the project provided jobs for more than 500 locals, activated the local market, and promoted local economic development.
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Juba power distribution project starts operations. [Photo/POWERCHINA] |
It also cultivated many outstanding foreign technical talents to work in South Sudan. At least 10 foreign employees have gone to China to study. It has laid a good talent base for the vigorous development of South Sudan's future power industry and contributed to China-South Sudan economic and trade cooperation.
