THE Kwakwani Utility Incorporated (KUI) has restored 24-hour electricity to the Region 10 community of Kwakwani, following weeks on unstable power supply.

Regional Vice Chairman, Elroy Adolph, who is also a Director of the KUI Board, said that the company was able to source fuel from the Hinterland Electricity Corporation (HEC) of which KUI falls under. This is the first time, he noted, the company was able to source fuel in such large quantity at one time and currently they are carrying out tests and monitoring it to see how long it will last. He also noted that KUI directors and management met with RUSAL management who noted that the company will no longer be able to supply KUI with fuel as was done before, given its uncertainty of continuing operations following US sanctions.

RUSAL’s management advised the KUI to start looking for fuel elsewhere and Adolph noted that the process has already begun. KUI would have always sourced fuel from the bauxite company. Under the RUSAL arrangement, the KUI received fuel every three days, but this was reduced to six days in recent days. Adolph said that the KUI has also started a sensitisation campaign to urge residents to conserve on electricity and to consume only when needed.

Following the recent events, residents, he said, need to change their culture of wasting electricity and be smart consumers, since they are the ones who will face blackouts in the long run. “I am asking residents to conserve, buy energy saving bulbs so that their consumption will not be so high and it will be less work on the engine which will burn less fuel. When you get up in the mornings, turn off the lights, when you leave for work, turn off all appliances and this will work for all of us,” Adolph urged.

He is also happy that electricity has returned to normalcy as residents were very agitated with the unstable power supply. Some residents even protested the situation. “I welcome the move of KUI attempting to restore the electricity to 24 hours, everyone is happy about it because the unstable current was also hindering the water supply,” Adolph noted.

Sourcing electricity from elsewhere will incur additional costs to KUI, but some Kwakwani residents have promised to commence paying for their electricity to finance this change. The Government has been subsidising electricity for the residents. Only corporate businesses in Kwakwani, pay for electricity.