Lukong Pius Nyuylime
7 July 2008
An international forum was organised in Yaoundé last week to set acceptable standards.
Actors in the electricity sector drawn from various departments, AES-SONEL, Electricity Regulatory Agency (ARSEL), Electricity Development Corporation (EDC) and big energy consumption industries among others, met at the Yaoundé Conference Centre in an international forum last Thursday and Friday to put an end to the disorder that has been going on in electricity installations causing fire outbreaks and other accidents.
The Minister of Energy and Water, Jean Bernard Sindeu, who presided at the ceremony, was particularly irked by the present dispensation characterised by the presence of poorly treated electric poles, fire outbreaks in popular markets, private homes and major industries. "All these are caused by poor electrical installations and the use of none conformed equipment", Sindeu said. In effect, in most of our cities, one finds electric poles almost completely pulled down by wind or vandals. Some of the poles are outdated and in advanced stage of decomposition. Several cases abound where electrical installations are carried out clandestinely by individuals without the concern of AES-SONEL authorities.
To put an order to this state of affairs, government organised an international forum to enable stakeholders exchange experiences and set standards in the Cameroonian electricity system. The forum on electricity safety norms therefore gave participants the occasion to identify the minimum security norms in electricity installations by creating a discussion forum to promote activities of controllers, electricity installation technicians, distributors, network builders among others.
The forum equally set the pace for reflection on how to control national and international installations in order to put in place standardised instruments such as certificate of conformity, and to track down acts of vandalism. Equally expected to see the light of day is a security observatory to render the monitoring committee created at the provincial delegations and developed within the structures of AES-SONEL more efficient.
The development of safety standards, according to Minister Jean Bernard Sindeu, is a big challenge especially at this moment that the State is working towards developing major hydroelectric installations to step up energy production. The forum was accompanied by promotional exhibition of some electricity appliances and safety equipment.
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