Improving access to electricity has remained a key focus of the any administration hence the numerous interventions by the government to ensure that Nigerians have steady power supply.
One of such intervention is being championed through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) incorporated and co-owned by the Federal, State and Local Governments.
NDPHC was incorporated to manage the power projects tagged ‘National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2004.
It was established to address the issues of insufficient electric power generation and excessive gas flaring from oil exploration in the Niger Delta region.
With more than 10 generating companies, the NDPHC can boast of over 4000 mega watts (MW), representing about 80 per cent of its targeted capacity.
Through the six NIPP, thermal power plants and scores of power substations, the company is part of the success story of the improved energy delivery capacity in the country.
The NDPHC recently signed a power purchase agreement with the Kano Government to boost water supply in the state.
At the signing of the agreement, Executive Director Generation, NDPHC, Mr Kassim Abdullahi, said the company has a total installed capacity of about 4,000mw.
“As I speak NDPHC has about 700 megawatts on the National Grid running. NDPHC has 10 generation companies and Alaoji Generation Company which will supply power to Kano state was one of them.
Abdullahi said that NDPHC decided to pick Alaoji because of the reliability and availability of power to be delivered under the agreement with Kano State.
He said that Alaoji Generation Company has the capacity of 500 megawatts, adding that the agreement with Kano State was less than 20 megawatts.
“So, we have a lot of power available and I believe this agreement will give comfort to the state that we have more than enough supply to give out.
“We have done so much to ensure that the tariff we gave to Kano is highly competitive.
“We have also done a lot to ensure that the state benefit from the intervention as NDPHC has gone ahead to put in infrastructure and investment prior to the signing of the agreement.
“We have spent so much money and we are about to finalise the connection to ensure constant supply of electricity to the state,” he said.
Abdullahi said that NDPHC had signed several Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) across the country, adding that the company has bigger capacity of megawatts with some customers.
On his part, NDPHC General Manager Commercial, Mr Mahmoud Wali, said the company was willing to supply power to anybody that demand for it.
Wali said that NDPHC has been talking with Distribution Companies (DisCos) and state governments that the company can supply power when needed.
” We have agreement with Lagos Government, Benin Disco and some other customers on power supply. Anybody that needs power above two megawatts we are ready to supply,” he said.
Earlier, Kano State Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Sadiq Wali, said the agreement was for the supply of about 95 per cent uninterrupted electricity to water plants in the state.
Wali said five water treatment plants were selected in the first phase of implementation.
He listed the water treatment plants to include Challawa Complex Water Treatment Plant, Wudil Regional Water Treatment Plant and Watari 75mld Water Treatment Plant.
Others, he said, were Joda Regional Water Treatment Plant and Kusalla Regional Water Treatment Plant.
The commissioner said it was a well-known fact that part of the major problem facing the state was inadequate supply of portable water.
He said the inadequate supply of portable water was attributed to lack of power supply to the water treatment plants.
“It is on this note that my office focused on identifying various solutions for the improvement of water supply services in the state by finding ways to address the acute power shortage affecting the state water treatment plants which adversely hinders their daily operations.
“This initiative is a milestone in relieving the pains and improving the economic gains of the residence of Kano and the State Government.”
On his part, Kano State Commissioner of Justice, Mr Lawal Abdullahi, said the venture would be for a long period to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the state water plants.
Abdullahi said the agreement was important to people of Kano as it would save cost and ensure steady water supply.
The NDPHC in its effort to ensure steady power supply has also begun the construction of a 1×7.5 Megavolt Ampres (MVA), 33/11 Kilo Volt (KV) injection distribution substation in Orogun, Delta State.
Managing Director, Mr Chiedu Ugbo, NDPHC speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, said that the injection substation would boost power supply and economic activities in the community.
He explained that the project, a 1×7.5MVA 33/11KV injection substation, would step down power from the already existing 33KV line to 11kV.
According to him, the project also involves the construction of 4km of 11KV line to distribute the power to the community, adding that seven distribution transformers would be installed in the community.
He stated that with the injection substation in place, faults on the downstream line would not be allowed to trip the entire network.
“The project followed the “passionate” intervention of the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege to have the project in the community.
On his part, Omo-Agege said President Muhammadu Buhari was making significant efforts to end energy poverty by facilitating the provision of electricity to rural communities across the country.
He said: “the objective has been to ensure that the number of people who use modern energy increases to reduce social costs and to increase social benefits,” he said.
He said the establishment of the power substation was one of the several initiatives of the administration aimed at addressing energy poverty in the country.
He called on the BEDC to make good use of the facility when completed to boost power supply to the communities, urging the utility to ensure that meters are provided for individual customers.
Also, NDPHC in its effort to improve power supply across the country, begun the construction of a new 15 kilometres 33 Kilo Volt (KV)/line in Osun.
The line would run from Ile-Ife Transmission Substation to Garage-Olode town, in Ife South LGA of the state.
Speaking at the inauguration of the project, Mr IfeOluwa Oyedele, the Executive Director, Networks, NDPHC, said the distribution intervention project also included the rehabilitation of the 15km 33kV Ifetedo/Garage-Olode power line.
Oyedele said the project would see the dualisation of 3km of 33KVA line from Mayfair roundabout to Modakeke, adding that eight 300 KVA and eight 500KVA distribution transformers would be supplied and installed in the community.
He described the inauguration of the project as historic as it marked the commencement of the construction of a project conceived and implemented to improve lives and economic activities in Garage-Olode town.
Oyedele commended the Osun Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, for pushing hard for the project.
Oyedele, however, said in commencing the project, the people should be grateful to a thoughtful and purposeful leader President Muhammadu Buhari and supported by Gov. Oyetola.
NDPHC recently signed an agreement with the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to deliver additional 250MW from stranded power to customers within the franchise area.
According to the Managing Director, NDPHC the two companies had in 2020 commenced exploring options to collaborate to deliver safe and reliable power to customers of the BEDC’s franchise area.
He said: “Some of the initial project areas are: Benin Bypass (industrial cluster near the NDPHC’s power plant at Ihovbor, Benin City, Edo State; Asaba, Delta State, Ondo South Senatorial District, Ondo State and interventions in Ekiti State.
“For the NDPHC, the project will enable us to deliver more 250MW of power to customers of the BEDC’s franchise areas in Edo, Delta, Ondo, and neighbouring states.”
“For the BEDC, the project will help the company to satisfy its customers with reliable power and achieve an enhancement of its network and infrastructure,” Ugbo said.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer, BEDC, Mrs Funke Osibodu, said the company aimed at delivering incremental power from the NDPHC under-utilised or stranded capacity.
Osibodu said the power would be distributed to several industrial and commercial hubs through multiple solutions across the certain locations in Delta, Edo, Ondo and Ekiti for electricity value chain.
She said under the agreement, BEDC and NDPHC would provide end-to-end power solutions across the value chain to deliver minimum of 250MW of additional power.
Experts have argued that improved power supply in the country will boost social economic activities and the NDPHC is contributing in no small way in achieving through its various intervention.
