FREETOWN — As the city braces for major power cuts starting June 12, Mayor of Freetown Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has taken to social media to update residents on the operational challenges at Freetown City Hall.
“In view of the upcoming power cuts and the cost of keeping the building operational, I thought it would be helpful to provide a bit of information to Freetonians about the City Hall,” the mayor wrote.
According to Mayor Aki-Sawyerr, the City Hall, a 17-storey building including a basement and roof garden, houses not only the Freetown City Council but also several key offices.
“The building also houses Audit Services Sierra Leone (2 floors), the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (1 floor), and 3 private sector companies (5 floors),” she noted.
The ground floor, she added, is home to six major banks: “SLCB, ECOBANK, RCB, ZENITH BANK, ACCESS BANK, and CMB.”
Highlighting the building’s complex infrastructure, the mayor explained, “The building has 7 lifts, an auditorium with an advanced sound system, a 400-tonne water tank that is pumped using electricity, fire sprinklers, and other equipment that require electricity.”
She also noted the high cost of keeping the building running on generator power.
“Running the 800 KVA generator requires 1500 litres of fuel at a cost of NLe41,100 per day,” she revealed. “Solar panels were installed after the building was constructed but their output cannot cover the electricity demand for the building.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy yesterday confirmed that Karpowership will stop supplying electricity to Freetown from midnight on June 12 due to unpaid bills. In a statement issued yesterday the Ministry, it stated that, “Despite ongoing negotiations to extend the existing contract, we received a disconnection notice from Karpowership on May 28.”
The Turkish power supplier, however, has pledged to maintain a minimal 6MW supply for essential services and hospitals.
The Ministry acknowledged the impending load shedding but assured residents that efforts are being made to manage the crisis.
“We are implementing emergency measures under the directive of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio to mitigate the impact and ensure reliable, affordable power supply,” they noted.
