Governemnt targets improved power supply with NDPHC’s initiatives

There are indications that power supply in the country, especially in rural areas across will witness significant improvement going by plans by the government to overhaul some National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs).

Though over 70 per cent of Nigerians reside in rural communities, inability of players in the power sector to operate some NIPPs continues to affect electricity supply to remote villages.

The Managing Director, NDPHC, Chiedu Ugbo, while launching a (1 *15 MVA,33/11KV) injection substation in Kaduna, said plans are being fine-tuned to enable operationalization of the projects along with Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) .

While the electricity distributor had avoided some of the projects because they were not economically viable, Ugbo said deliberation at a meeting, which brought together major stakeholders in the industry renewed hope of power supply to villages.

“At the power sector meeting today, we deliberated on that. DisCos have not taken them (completed projects) for so many reasons, especially what they called difficulty to operationalize the substations, especially when they are in very remote areas where they are in villages and it does not make any economic sense for them.

But the ministry, the minister, the regulator, we are all working to see how the challenges will be resolved,” Ugbo said.

Speaking on the commissioned substation, the MD said: “15MVA transformer substation stepped down from 33KV to 11KV.

It also has two feeders going from here to the legislative quarters and to Rafin Gosa.

It will serve this area; serve the Army Mechanized Division, several schools, several hospitals, several mosques, and several churches.”

Ugbo was optimistic that the N300million initiative would aid Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company deliver stranded power, adding that the new station would improve power supply in the state.

According to him, the new project has enhanced small and medium enterprises and improved economic activities with resultant positive effects on the socio-economic well being within the area.

He noted that the project was conceived and built by the company to primarily address the acute power supply to Angwan Dosa and its environs.

Ugbo said the project, “is a 1×15MVA, 33/11kv injection substation complete with 4.6km of 33kv overhead line from Mando Transmission Substation and 8km of 11kv overhead line and 60nos, Completely Self Protected (CSP) distribution transformers.”