Electrification Sustainability Program In South Sudan Quarterly Report

The program is designed to address the needs of these utilities, including ongoing training and mentoring for staff, management, and administrators. The ESP also includes hydroelectric studies in Yei and Maridi, and supports Western Equatoria State and the Republic of South Sudan in planning for utility formation in Yambio. The ESP has three primary objectives. The first objective is to support the process of achieving long-term sustainability for the electric generation-distribution utilities in Kapoeta, Maridi, and Yei. This includes establishing well-established business systems and training staff to manage these systems without external oversight. The second objective is to explore the potential for development of micro- and small-hydro generation near Maridi and Yei through pre-feasibility studies. The third objective is to complete an institutional and technical evaluation of the incomplete Yambio electric generation-distribution system. The NRECA project team assigned to support ESP includes the Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, Senior Commercial Utility Advisor, Electrical Engineer, Customer Information System Specialist, Lineman Training Specialist, Power Generation Specialist, Board Development Specialist, Utility Finance Specialist, and Utility Planning Specialist. Additional support will be provided by the NRECA International Foundation, which will organize volunteer services of U.S. line workers from NRECA member cooperatives in the United States. Logistics pose a significant challenge for the ESP, as Kapoeta, Maridi, and Yei are located at significant distances from one another. To address this challenge, the NRECA team has established a base of operations in Maridi at the MECO compound, where the Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party reside. A senior commercial specialist continues to reside and work in Kapoeta, providing management oversight to KAPECO. The Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party will travel to Kapoeta periodically to provide management, accounting, and CIS-specific training. The ESP team has identified several key issues and challenges, including logistics, connection barriers, and local training partners. The team is working to address these challenges through a comprehensive evaluation of the engineering and construction requirements to energize the generation-distribution system in Yambio, and by providing ongoing training and mentoring for staff, management, and administrators. The ESP has made significant progress in the past quarter, including the completion of CIS and accounting workshops and mentoring activity, benchmark diagnostics, technical assistance and mentoring, and revised utility weekly operations reports. The team has also begun to explore the potential for development of micro- and small-hydro generation near Maridi and Yei through pre-feasibility studies.