By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
In furtherance of the federal government’s renewable energy policy to increase energy access via renewable sources, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) says it plans to electrify additional 100,000 home units through investment in renewables.
The managing director/chief executive officer (MD/CEO), NDPHC, Mr Chiedu Ugbo, made this known Wednesday in his keynote address while declaring open a two-day workshop for power correspondents in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
SUMMIT POST reports that within the first quarter of 2017 the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, performed the launch of NDPHC’s renewable energy project tagged ‘Paygo solar homes systems’ built to deliver affordable, clean energy for 20,000 households in the rural areas in the country.
Ugbo said, “NDPHC has also diversified into renewable energy. Aside the 20,000 home units that we installed, there are plans to add another 100,000 units across the country.
“It should be noted that the company has been operating its existing plants, completing those still under construction and intervening in transmission and distribution through its internally generated revenue.
“In spite of this, the Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is owing NDPHC over ₦100 billion. Again, our tariff is the cheapest among thermal companies even though we all buy gas at the same price in the market.
“As you all know, the task of providing adequate electricity to Nigerians has been arduous and as a company jointly owned by every Nigerian through local, state and Federal governments, we know that Nigerians look more unto us more than our competitors. And without sounding immodest, we are striving assiduously to live up to that expectation.”
“NDPHC, being primarily a generation company, also intervenes very seriously in both the transmission and the distribution segments of the power sector.”
Noting that the company is socially responsible through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects, the NDPHC boss appealed to Nigerians and especially those communities playing host to all electricity projects and installations of the company to see them as their own property to protect them against the challenges of theft anf vandalism.
“Within the last one year we have witnessed some setbacks through such actions when gas pipelines were damaged and also recently when high tension towers were pulled down and parts carted away in River State,” he added.
NDPHC is incorporated as a private limited liability company with shareholding fully subscribed to by the Federal, State and Local governments of Nigeria with a mandate to manage the power projects tagged ‘National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP).
The NIPP was conceived in 2004 and developed to address the issues of insufficient electric power generation and excessive gas flaring from oil exploration in the Niger Delta region. The ten thermal plants that were designed include: Ihovbor Power Station Benin, Edo State; Calabar Power Station, Cross River State; Egbema Power Station, Imo State; Gbarain Power Station, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Others are Sapele Power Station, Delta State; Omoku Power Station, Rivers State; Alaoji Power Station, Abia State, combined cycle plant; Omotosho II Power Station, Ondo State; Olorunsogo II Power Station, Ogun State, combined cycle plant; Geregu II Power Station, Kogi State.