There are a great many questions that we are asked about the situation with utilities in Cape Verde. So perhaps a little background might help paint a clearer picture.
In the Republic of Cape Verde there is one main company responsible for both water and electricity across the ten islands and this company is
Electra.
Potted History Created on 17th April, 1982, Electra at that time was made up of three companies, EAM (Electricidade e Água do Mindelo - from Mindelo on the Island of Sao Vicente), CEP (Central Eléctrica da Praia - from the capital city, Praia on the Island of Santiago) and EAS (Electricidade e Água do Sal - we know where that is!).
The mission that Electra was charged with was a tough one. They had to find and provide a response to the energetic and water requirements for the main urban areas of Sal, Praia and Mindelo. And this response was expected to be continuous and ongoing.
To get a good of the circumstances and the state of development at that time, at the time of the creation of the company Electra provided electricity to 9,255 clients and water to 2,855 clients. You surely know that the population of Cape Verde at the time was quite a bit more than these number. It was climbing past about 300,000 at that time.
It was not until 1998 that Electra received the mandate from the government to fix its sights on extending the service to the whole country. Over the coming years Electra opened offices and installations on all of the islands. The logistics were terribly difficult but they worked hard and bit by bit extended the network to all urban areas of the country.
Now in 2010 we have a network that is able to sustain power and water in most parts of the country almost continuously. There are still power outs in some parts of the country but Electra is working hard to fulfill these areas and ensure that their mission of non-stop water and power is achieved.
Vila VerdeFor our project, Vila Verde, the process has been painstaking and sometimes it has seemed to us, and to you we know!, that we just would never make it. However, we have now had power and water for some time.
However it must be stressed that the process for connection is not the same as in the UK.
1. Electra to the Resort
First the resort is connected up, and this includes all of the blocks, the common areas, the pools, bathrooms, shops and so on. The connection is tested and then left switched OFF.
2. Electra to you
Once you have gone to title deeds there will still be no electricity. You have to take your deeds to the Electra office together with a copy of your bank details, some identification and some money. There they will be happy to guide you through the signing up process. If all the paperwork is correct then in around 4/5 working days (Can drag to 8-10) the power and water will come on in your property.
3. Tecnicil and You.
Please bear in mind that Tecnicil is NOT responsible for this process at all. We can neither speed it up now do it for you. Any delays in this connection are entirely down to Electra. This is not just a Cape Verde issue, in Portugal or Spain you would also have to go and sort out your own connections or get someone to do this for you. We would recommend using one of the snagging companies to do this. Your lawyers can also do this, but you can imagine the difference in cost of sending a lawyer to get your water switched on!
I hope this is helpful but if you have any questions please leave them as comments here and we can try and answer them all at the same time.
Given that our tasks at Tecnicil have now divided into communication with those clients who are still in the run up to completion and those that have completed we thought it best to create a new blog.
