Gambia, country in S Africa - Power crisis; asks Eskom Electric to end shortages

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Gambia asks SAfrica's Eskom to end power crisis

BANJUL, March 15 (Reuters) - A senior Gambian official said on Wednesday the country was looking to South Africa's state-owned electricity company Eskom to help end power shortages in the country.

The power crisis has denied many Gambians electricity for all but six hours a day in recent weeks. Maintenance work at the Kom power station over the past five weeks has meant people living in and around Banjul have had power severely reduced from the normal 18 hours a day.

Edward Singhateh, secretary of state for presidential affairs, told reporters he hoped Eskom would soon install new generating capacity at a power station near the capital, Banjul.

Generating problems led Gambian President Yahya Jammeh recently to fire the managing director of the state-owned National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) and dissolve its board of directors.

Eskom's ``fast track'' plan to boost NAWEC's generation capacity to 39 MW from current installed capacity of 27 MW follows the signing last November of an agreement between Gambia's government and the company.

Eskom is one of the world's biggest power generators and produces more than half the power in Africa, according to Moody's Investors Service.

NAWEC said in a statement on Monday that British-based utility group Biwater Capital had also signed a deal to install additional generating capacity in the former British colony.

The African Development Bank is helping fund a separate programme to supply electricity to Gambia's rural areas.

12:32 03-15-00

Source: America Online News, no url available. Cannot yet find the url in Reuters News.

-- Lee Maloney (leemaloney@hotmail.com), March 16, 2000


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