Bayelsa attains 17 hours steady power daily
By Olamilekan Lartey, Yenagoa
Wednesday, 28 Jul 2010


The Bayelsa State Government said on Tuesday that it had been able to ensure 17 hours of interrupted power supply per day from electricity generated from its gas turbine station.

Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Maxwell Oko, said the power situation would, however, only improve if customers paid their bills regularly.

“Government has made conscious effort to ensure that there is electricity supply for 17 hours out of 24 hours in Yenagoa. What we do is we evacuate 12 megawatts from Kolo Creek and this is augmented by PHCN with 24 megawatts and this is responsible for the constant electricity supply our people have been enjoying since November last year,” he said.

Oko said the aim of the government was for the state to achieve 111 megawatts.

Oko who was represented at a stakeholders meeting of customers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Rennewe Tiebiri, urged the people to pay up their bills if they wanted the regular power supply to continue.

“If you are paying your bills you can hold PHCN accountable on its service delivery,” and decried the situation where some consumers harasses officials of the company in the course of discharging their duties,” Tiebiri said.

Residents of Bayelsa State only began paying for electricity in January this year.

Many homes are yet to start paying the token introduced to domestic consumers.

PHCN’s Assistant General Manager, Customer Services, Port Harcourt Zone, Mr. S.B Koka, said the company would improve on its services and performance to customers in Bayelsa State.

He said it was important for consumers to pay their bills because of the huge financial outlay involved in electricity generation and distribution.

abegi. . .until i hear 4rm those on ground and not what they say . . .