NRECA International Ltd. signed a Cooperative Agreement with USAID in June 2005 to facilitate electric infrastructure development assistance to the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS), labeled the Southern Sudan Rural Electrification Program.  The projected and realized achievements of this program are the (1) introduction of street lighting as a measure of public security in Yei; (2) provision of reliable and affordable electricity in Yei; (3) complete technical and financial feasibility studies for Southern Sudan state capitals; and (4) provision of technical support, training, and capacity building for the Juba electric utility and GOSS electric sector rehabilitation and reconstruction program. 

In October 2007, NRECA was awarded the Market Town Electrification Task Order, of the Sudan Infrastructure Services Project, which will further support NRECA’s work in Southern Sudan

In Yei, NRECA is acting as a source of technical, policy, and program implementation assistance. Therefore, NRECA has assumed responsibility for design, procurement, and operation of the electric generation and distribution system, albeit for a pre-defined period of no more than three years. 

In Juba, NRECA’s role has shifted from providing technical and operational assistance to the Juba electric utility, to one of providing policy and program implementation support to the Ministry of Housing, Lands, and Public Utilities.

Lending a Helping Hand: Missouri and Nevada volunteers in Sudan
(NRECA International Foundation, March 28, 2008)

This past January, six volunteers traveled from Missouri and Nevada to Sudan, the largest nation in Africa, and one of the poorest.  The volunteer linemen traveled to Yei to continue building the distribution system and bring power to a small settlement in this southern city.   What they didn’t expect was to bring back memories of a life-changing experience.