AfrElec: Karpowership cuts power to Guinea-Bissau capital over unpaid bill

Turkish firm Karpowership, one of the world's biggest floating power plant operators, cut power supplies to Guinea-Bissau's capital of Bissau in the early hours of October 17 over an unpaid bill of at least $15mn, plunging the city into darkness.

Karpowership has taken a hard line over non-payment elsewhere in Africa recently. In September, it cut power to Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, over an unpaid bill of $40mn.

Guinea-Bissau’s economy minister, Suleimane Seidi, acknowledged the arrears while pledging at a press conference that most of the bill would be paid in 15 days, Reuters reported.

In the meantime, some public hospitals had to use generators to carry out surgery, local journalist Assana Sambu told the BBC. State-run Radio Nacional is among media outlets that were forced to stop broadcasting.