Capital of Guinea-Bissau is completely dark due to unpaid electricity bills

The West African nation owes a Turkish electricity company $17 million.

According to Tuesday’s announcement by Economy Minister Suleimane Seidi, the lights went out in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, after a Turkish energy company cut off power supplies due to a $17 million debt that had not been paid.

The official stated that the arrears were to be paid in full within 15 days by the state-owned Electricity and Water Company of Guinea-Bissau.

Seidi acknowledged the arrears and said to reporters, “Karpower has committed to renegotiate with the government to guarantee that the backlog does not become a problem.

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One of the biggest electricity providers in the world, Karpowership is the owner of a fleet of powerships that feed many African nations. Since 2019, the Turkish business, which is a part of the Karadeniz Energy Group, has met all of Guinea-Bissau’s electrical requirements, according to its website.

A spokeswoman for Karpowership issued a statement saying, “Unfortunately, following a significant period of nonpayment, our (floating power plant) is currently unable to continue operating.”

The business continued, “We are working with officials around-the-clock to address this issue, and we aim to have generation back online as soon as possible.”

Due to an overdue debt of roughly $40 million, Karpowership cut off the power supply to the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown, in September.