South Sudan's Juba power plant will be completed by March, the country's minister of energy and dams has said.
"Electricity is a basic need and electricity is the engine of development. If you look into the criteria used to start development, you will see that electricity is at the top," EABW reported Dr Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol saying on Tuesday.
"If we aspire to be like other developing countries, we need to help generate electricity."
The $289-million, 100 MW plant was launched in November last year and is active.
According to the government, its first phase will supply 33 MW to the capital and surrounds. The first 100 kW of power will be free, an effort to uplift low-income residents.
The country's power sector was effectively shut down in the 2013 civil war, and public–private partnerships are now being solicited to revive the sector.