The Managing Director of the Bayelsa State Electricity Company Limited, Engineer Olice Kemenanabo, says the newly inaugurated 60-megawatt Independent Power Plant (IPP) at Elebele is not yet delivering electricity to the state, just hours after President Bola Tinubu formally switched it on.
Engr. Kemenanabo in a statement on Saturday 11 April 2026 said the facility is currently undergoing critical technical installations, particularly the protective relay coordination process, which is expected to be completed within a few days.
He cautioned residents against viewing the power plant as a mere political trophy or straightforward commercial venture, stressing that only sound and professional management would guarantee its long-term sustainability and efficiency.
The engineer urged Bayelsans to exercise patience and prepare to fully enjoy the benefits of stable power supply once the plant becomes fully operational.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier performed the inauguration during a high-profile visit to the state on Friday 10 April, 2026.
President Tinubu after landing in Bayelsa started with the commissioning of the 2.9-kilometre dualised New Yenagoa City Road One, which links the state-owned airport and the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) base at Obunagha to the Onopa axis of the capital city.
He also cut the ribbon on the 630-metre Angiama-Oporoma Bridge which had remained on the drawing board for over six decades, before being completed by the Senator Douye Diri’s administration.
The climax of President Tinubu’s visit was the formal switched on of the 60-megawatt gas turbine plant at Elebele, near Yenagoa, which raises hope of improved and more stable electricity supply to yenagoa and its environs.
