The Federal Government has identified poor transmission and distribution capabilities as impediment to the delivery of uninterrupted power supply in the country. Doyin Okupe, senior special assistant to the president on public affairs, said government
was well aware that the highest expectation from the citizenry was the delivery of uninterrupted power supply, which it was working hard to resolve in the next few months.
Speaking at a conference in Lagos at the weekend, Okupe said the current administration inherited five major problems in the power sector, which include low generation capacity, due to failure to invest in the power sector for over 20 years, comatose National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), and poor and inadequate gas infrastructure and supply. Others are dysfunctional and inefficient transmission and distribution capabilities and non achievements of the much desired privatisation agenda.
“Of all the above five, the Jonathan administration has nearly completely resolved four out of these, leaving only the fourth item to which sufficient attention is also being dedicated,” he said, adding that within the next 12 months the problems affecting transmission and distribution would be substantially resolved.
Already, the privatisation of the power sector is nearing completion, as the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) had received $559,445,573.96 from all 14 bidders for the 15 successor companies, thus setting the stage for the acquisition of the companies by the new owners. The Federal Government has also accepted to pay a total of N384 billion to the staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to facilitate the take-over of the companies.
According the special adviser, generating capacity has since increased from 2,500mw to 4,200mw as at last week while the comatose NIPPs have been revamped.
For example, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), owner of the NIPP, has delivered the largest transmission substation located in Oke Aro, a boundary town between Lagos and Ogun State.
James Abiodun Olotu, managing director/CEO, NDPHC, who energised the substation to mark the delivery of the project among several distribution projects, said the completion of the project was in line with commitment of NDPHC to commission many projects before the end of this year.
Oke Aro NIPP project is a 330/132/33 MVA transmission station that has 2×300 MVA transformers to improves and radiate more power for Lagos and its environs, comprising Ogun State and ease off the heavy load centres in Maryland, Ikeja West and even Akoka and Ijora.
It is the biggest transformer in the system and the first of its kind in Nigeria. It has the capacity to wheel out 480 MVA on the 330/132 and 120 MVA on the distribution side, feeding mainly Ikeja and its environs.
In a related development, nine distribution injection substations are in Ikeja and Eko distribution companies, comprising NRC, Ijora Causeway, Orile Igamu, Ojo TS, and Isolo, which has three number 1×15 MVA, the highest number of substations to be commissioned in one site under Eko Electricity Distribution Company.
At Ikeja distribution company, there are Odogunyan, Igando, Ijegun and Epe, all 1×15 MVA injection substations. All these projects are meant to drive away darkness in Lagos and bring back light to the communities and the environs where these projects are located.
In addition to the above, Okupe scored the current administration high on road infrastructure, and said that ongoing road rehabilitation projects were all on the verge of completion, citing the Kano-Maiduguri, Port Harcourt-Enugu and the Benin-Ore roads as example.
STEVE OMANUFEME
