Africa-Press – Cape verde. The São Filipe council today set a 24-hour deadline for Electra and the Government to comment and resolve the blackout situation in the electricity supply that has lasted five days.
São Filipe: Chamber gives 24 hours for Electra and the Government to comment and resolve energy supply
In a press conference, the president of the São Filipe City Council, Nuías Silva, said that if within the stipulated period there is no “clear and concise” decision and explanation, the municipality is “willing and able” to integrate into a broad movement of challenge and demand responsibility from the company and the Government, as its owner.
He highlighted that there is “a lot of neglect” towards the island on the part of Electra, the Government and national authorities regarding the investment that needs to be made on the island.
“The chamber is joining its voice to that of all San Filipenses and Foguenses with this difficult situation that the municipality and the entire island has been experiencing in recent times linked to the supply of electricity by Electra”, declared Nuías Silva when starting the press conference, adding that the situation on the island and in São Filipe, which is the capital of the region and which is home to more than 50 percent of the population (%) “is chaotic” living “in a blackout and total darkness”.
According to families in the rural world, they are “completely worried” and small businesses are abandoned and no one knows who will bear all the costs of the “huge losses” of products stored for sale, adding that the north zone has been without electricity for more than four days.
“In today’s times and with the investments made in the past for the single plant, with alternative generating groups capable of meeting not only the island’s demand, but also any contingency, it is unacceptable and needs more concise and clear explanations for the the population, with authorities and local government authorities”, advocated the mayor, remembering that since the end of last week São Filipe has not had normal power, which has caused “huge damage”.
Nuías Silva said that in the city, large traders, through visits and contacts, speak of “huge losses” and given the scale of the problem, he calls on the Government to help Electra in creating the necessary conditions for “urgent restoration” of normal supply of energy in São Filipe and on the island
The same source said that the chamber is with the population in this fight against this situation of “authentic disregard” for the island, because, he explained, “there is no formal information to the authorities and institutions”.
The “little that is known”, he continued, is through Electra’s statement and that in practice it does not correspond because the situation should already be normalized, but at this moment there is “total blackout, proving losses, discomfort and insecurity” and “there is no information concrete information” about when the energy will be restored with a minimally satisfactory situation.
Nuías Silva argued that Electra and the Government, as its owner, have a responsibility to invest in the island because it is part of Cape Verde and deserves equal treatment, adding that if the situation had happened in other cities it would be a reason to “huge dissatisfaction and public demonstration”.
“The education and passivity of São Filipe and the island cannot be taken as an absolute truth that the population will not react”, pointed out the mayor of São Filipe, remembering that the situation has been going on for nine months, since March 2023.
He recalled that the plant has two generating groups of great potential, one of which has been out of order since March and was undergoing maintenance that was due to end last October, but that, in the words of Nuías Silva, “strangeness and without any information” the maintenance was suspended with no day to resume.
If the maintenance had been completed and even with a failure recorded in the other group with greater power, the problem that occurred would not occur and the island would be in a much better situation, said Nuías Silva, for whom the question that the population asks is why the suspension of maintenance, whether for financial, technical or other reasons.
“We cannot have large investments in one part of the national territory and in another part, nor is maintenance of the system carried out to reach this situation. The problem we are experiencing today is the result of a lack of investment and timely maintenance of equipment”, said the mayor of São Filipe, highlighting that there is a lack of investment and a maintenance plan and parts in stock to replace a island with three municipalities and more than 35 thousand inhabitants.
“The people and institutions are exhausted and tolerance is at its limit and we demand an explanation”, concludes Nuías Silva.
The Cutelo Capado cheese production unit, which has been without power for four days, was forced to throw a large quantity of products into the trash and in a first assessment, those responsible speak of more than 300 thousand escudos in losses so far.
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