By Abisola THOMPSON
The Egbin Power Plant, one of the subsidiaries, Sahara Power Group, says it will start to deploy 1,320 Megawatts (MW) of electricity to the National Grid (NG) toward by the of February.
Its Group Managing Director (GMD), Mr Kola Adesina, made the disclosure on Monday at the induction of 39 Young Engineers of the company in Lagos.
They will undergo the Graduate Engineering Programme (GEP) at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN).
TBI Africa said the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sahara Power Group comprises the formerly state-owned Egbin Power Plc., Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company and First Independent Power Ltd., Rivers.
According to Adesina, at present the plant is delivering 524MW to the National Grid.
“As at today, Egbin Power Plant can generate 880MW of electricity, but the limitation of evacuation is what is restricting it to 524MW.
“But as a power plant, the company will provide up to 1,320MW by February ending,” he said.
The group managing director said that the inductees would undergo the training for six months and two weeks.
“The GEP is a crucial aspect of our strategy as a global business with focus on innovation and human capital development.
“We are committed to expanding the depth of our training programmes through ongoing investment and collaboration with regional and global organisations,” he said.
Adesina said that the inductees would have the opportunity of learning from some of the continent’s best engineering professionals at Egbin Power and First Independent Power Ltd.
“We are setting the tone for a future where our people will become power experts with global influence, providing smart solutions to the power needs in Africa and beyond.
“It all starts from the GEP; we are delighted to have this batch of engineers on board. Sahara Power’s vision of lighting up Africa that will be driven by the best possible human capital.
“Most of the technical training sessions will be held at Egbin Power Plc and First Independent Power Ltd.,” he said.
The NAPTIN’s acting Director-General, Mr Ahmed Nagode, said that the power sector needed consistent training activities to address the dearth of human capital in the sector.
Nagode said it was imperative for the sector to bridge the knowledge gap by investing in its people through sustained collaboration between the public and private sector.
“A robust human capital is required to transform the power sector to achieving higher efficiency, reliability and productivity.
“As always, NAPTIN is delighted to continue its collaboration with Sahara Power Group on this project.
“We have through the Sahara Power group graduates engineering programme, produced excellent engineers that are already bringing innovative solutions to processes in the sector.
“I congratulate the successful inductees, and I am confident that the future is bright for all of you and for the entire power sector,” he said.
