Mbanza-Kongo — The accumulated debt owed by customers to the National Electricity Distribution Company (ENDE) in the province of Zaire exceeds 5 billion kwanzas.
The ENDE's provincial director, Ndongo João, on Wednesday told ANGOP that 50% of the debt is registered in the oil-producing municipality of Soyo, a coastal area of the province.
He added that 90% of this asset belongs to private entities and 10% to public institutions.
The director stated that the debt has made many ENDE actions in the province unfeasible, especially in the expansion of the electricity grid to the missing localities.
To reverse the situation, he said, the company is carrying out a public awareness campaign about the importance of paying for energy consumed, as well as cutting off power to the most indebted customers.
A total, 6 of the 11 municipalities on the province are connected to the National Public Energy Grid, with energy produced from existing hydroelectric power plants in the country and the Soyo Combined Cycle plant.
With more than 60,000 customers, ENDE in Zaire has an estimated monthly turnover of 350 million kwanzas.
DA/JL/CF/DOJ
