By Thompson ABISOLA
The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) has commissioned a new 1x15MVA,33/11KV injection substation to tackle the acute power supply challenges in Angwan Dosa and its environs in Kaduna State.
The Managing Director of NDPHC, Mr Chiedu Ugbo, while commissioning the project said the distribution substation was completed along with the construction of a 4.6km of 33kv overhead line from Mando transmission station and 8km of 11kv overhead line.
He said the substation possessed a Completely Self Protected (CPS) distribution transformers designed to ensure safety of power supplied.
The NDPHC boss explained that the substation which had ability of about 70 per cent peak electricity load, noted that the feeders radiating from the substation were supplying some load centres in the state.
He listed the centres to include, First Mechanised Army Division, Kaduna State Legislative quarters, and the entire Angwan Dosa areas.
Others are Zaria road, 30 Mosques, 15 Churches, 45 schools, 30 shopping complexes and 10 hospitals.
Ugbo also said that 8 private clinics and 23 welders were also being supplied electricity from the injection substation. “There are two feeders radiating from the substation, which includes legislative feeder serving legislative quarters and Angwan Dosa area with a peak load of 200A which is equivalent to a 4MVA.
“There is also Rafin Guza feeder, serving Rafin Guza area, Hayin Kogi and some part of Kawo areas with a peak load of 340A which is equivalent to 6.5MVA,” Ugbo explained.
According to him, the construction and current utilisation of the injection substation by the Kaduna DisCo to supply electricity to consumers is enhancing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The NDPHC boss said: “Managing Director of Kaduna DisCo told me that they are supplying between 15 and 18 hours electricity average to customers connected to this substation. The project is very critical to the service delivery of Kaduna DisCo.
“It is one of the intervention projects by NDPHC essentially to ensure that stranded generation in power plants are taken and delivered to Nigerians.
“The NIPP power stations are being built for the benefits of Nigerians so that they can enjoy the benefits of the investments that the government has made on their behalf.”
Ugbo said NDPHC had embarked on several intervention projects designed to help DisCos evacuate stranded power from power generating plants to the people.
“We have several ongoing intervention projects about 100 of them. We have also completed several of them. Last month, we commissioned two similar projects in Lagos.
“Within this month, we should be commissioning another one in Jaji in Kaduna here.
“Under Kaduna Disco franchise area, we have projects in Gagi in Sokoto, ready for commissioning, Fafaru which also has been completed in Sokoto, Talata-Mafara in Zamfara, these are all within the Kaduna electricity coverage area.”
According to him, we have several projects in down south, we have finished projects Okija, we have in Zaria, we have in Jos, and we have projects virtually in every state.
“We have completed so many, while more of the projects have attained between 80 and 95 per cent completion and we are pursuing to complete them as soon as possible.
He revealed that each of the constructed injection distribution substation projects was valued at N300 million with an average capacity to receive and distribute 15megawatts (Mw) of power.
Ugbo, however, noted that some DisCos were yet to energise and put to use some of the distribution infrastructure developed by NDPHC.
According to him, the DisCos have attributed their inability to put to use some of the completed distribution projects to challenges of operationalising the substation, especially when they are located in very remote areas.
He, however, said modalities were being worked out by the Minster and the regulator to resolve the issue.
The Managing Director, Kaduna DisCo, Mr Garuba Haruna, said the 1×1 MVA substation would help boost power supply to communities in Anguan Dosa, legislative quarters and the surrounding communities.
“In the past, power supply is not consistent to these areas because of lack of distribution infrastructure and control on these areas, and at the same time some customers are being served from areas that are highly overloaded.
“Now, with this substation, the customers will have more hours of supply. “he Kilowatts (Kw) is going to flow through this system, to the residential houses, the industrial areas, to welders and then they can utilise it. There is going to be more supply to the areas, there is going to be more safety, because there is a control in the 33kv.
“This energy increase that President Muhammadu Buhari promised through incremental power is happening and this is part of what NDPHC is doing, and we are collaborating with them.”
He said the Kaduna DisCo would also continue to collaborate with customers to ensure the attainment of the objectives for which the substation was originally conceived.
“Now, what is left for us as distribution company is to collaborate with our customer to ensure that we realised the dream of this project because if we don’t pay for the energy that we consume, this project will be for noting.
“There are a lot of NDPHC projects in our franchise area that are at the completion stage, some Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Kaduna States. Any one that is being completed, we energise, it and this is one of them,’’ he said.
