Almotamar.net - Yemen Minister of Electricity and Energy Awadh al-Saqtari refuted allegations published in Al-Sahwa newspaper in its issue on 23 April 2009 regarding the Ministry’s acceptance of financial compensation of $60 million from the Iranian company constructing the first stage of the gas power station project in Mareb in return for keeping silent about violations in specifications of transformers.

The Minister said, “Information of al-Sahwa are lies and groundless and is it possible that the company would compensate us with $60 million while the total amount of the contract between us and the company $45 million?” he confirmed that the transformers are in conformity with specifications and quality agreed on.

In an interview to Al-Mithaq newspaper and Almotamar Net website to be published at the same time next Tuesday the minister announced that the repeated outages of power are a normal result of expansion in demand that is increasing 10% annually in addition to approaching of summer season in Yemen. He also reiterated affirmation of the final date of opening the Mareb power station and put in operation next July.

The minister made it clear that the site of Maabar Gas Power Station would not be changed and if geological studies proved its situation on a seismic location, that would require increases I foundations and the base and other additions to face possibilities, indicating the ministry’s clinging to specified location for expanding the national power network.