By: Binta Jaiteh
A top official of the national power company Wednesday disclosed that the company has spent over $1 million on fuel purchases to strengthen energy supply.
The Deputy Managing Director of the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), Momodou Lamin Sompo Ceesay, made the disclosure to journalists and other media workers.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre, Ceesay said the company has also spent more than $3 million on maintenance over the past 12 months.
He added that an additional $2 million is expected to be spent within the next year on what he described as “unplanned expenditure,” largely driven by global energy market pressures.
Ceesay attributed some of the challenges facing the energy sector to international developments, including rising global oil prices and supply chain disruptions affecting spare parts and maintenance schedules.
“Thermal plants in the region are constrained due to high oil prices. Spinning reserves have been squeezed, reducing surplus energy supply. Spare parts are delayed, and maintenance schedules have been prolonged,” he remarked.
He noted that the current power situation should not be described as a system failure, but rather as a reflection of broader global energy challenges.
“This situation is unfortunate. The power crisis should not be described as a system failure. That would not be fair to us. We are doing everything possible to address the situation,” he added.
Ceesay further states that NAWEC has commissioned a 50MW solar plant in Soma under its rapid recovery program and confirmed that more than 50,000 electricity meters are currently in stock.
He explained that several of NAWEC’s generators were undergoing extensive repairs and rehabilitation, supported by significant financial investment from the company’s own resources.
According to him, external factors such as global fuel price increases have placed additional strain on electricity generation costs, requiring periodic reliance on electricity imports from neighboring countries such as Senegal and Guinea to stabilize supply.
Ceesay reaffirmed NAWEC’s commitment to expanding electricity access across the country, stressing that efforts are ongoing to improve both generation and distribution capacity.
“Our primary goal is to provide access to electricity for all Gambians. The situation will be addressed as soon as possible as the institution continues working to curb the challenges,” he said.
He also notes that while electricity production remains expensive, NAWEC is working to make power more affordable for consumers despite ongoing economic pressures and rising demand driven by construction and domestic usage.