ARSEL Inspects Refurbishment Done by AES-SONEL

The Director General of ARSEL visited some centres to inspect the renovation work AES-SONEL was supposed to carryout.

The Director General of Electricity Regulatory Sector Agency, known by its French acronym, ARSEL, Pierre Ndouga Hell, visited the Thermal Generation hydro plant at Songloulou, Edea and Limbe. His mission was to access the machines to know what is working, what is not working and why they are not working and also what can be done to improve on power generation. He described the job done by AES-SONEL as positive and satisfactory advancement in trying to put measures to generate electricity.
At Songloulou, three major refurbishing works is taking place. The Penstock Hall, which is the large pipes which store water, the Still Way Gates and the Control Panel System or Programmable Logic Control. The Director of Production of the Songloulou Hydro Plant, George NGU Nchinda, said they have already refurbished seven of the Penstock halls and the second phase for the Still Way Gates will take place in June and the work will be through by 2011.
In Edea, the Project Manager, André Siewe explained that Edea is carrying out refurbishment in Edea one, two and three. In Edea one, he said the work is to replace all three generators of 11megawatt each with three new ones of 16megawatt each, including a common system. He said that in Edea two they are carrying out an anti corrosive production on the penstock halls and renew protection, meanwhile, in Edea three there is a construction of a new Still Way Gate to replace the old one since the creation of the power plant in Edea. Siewe said there are no spare parts for the still way gates and besides it costs more to do maintenance, and all refurbishment will be through by 2012.
At the Limbe Thermal Plant, one of the five alternators caught fire on the 23 February 2010 and Ndouga Hell and his team went to see for themselves. Each of the alternators produce 17.5MW and one burnt is shortage of 17.5MW. The spokes person for AES-SONEL, Theophile Ekobo Mbongue who is also Director of Regulation and Organisation in AES-SONEL explained to the ARSEL Delegation that the problem is just the 17.5MW shortage which they have to seek solution. ARSEL insisted the repair be done before the end of the year but AES-SONEL wants a lasting solution and not to rush. The Director General said there will be limited electricity next year so AES-SONEL has to ensure the Limbe thermal plant functions effectively.
On the other hand AES-SONEL appeals to the users of electricity to be fateful in paying their consumptions and also to banks that they are getting into huge investments and needs the aid of everyone. Each year AES-SONEL looses 75billions for unpaid bills and illegal connections. This amount is said to be worth constructing two more new centres like that of Yassa.
EFFA TAMBENKONGHO