$8 BILLION SUNK INTO POWER INTERVENTION PROJECT - NDPHC

The Managing Director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited, (NDPHC) Mr. James Olotu, has said that $8 billion has been sunk into the intervention projects of the power sector expecting that by the end of this year over 5,500 MW would have been added to the national grid.

The NDPHC boss said yesterday in Lagos while commissioning a new transmission project at Ikeja West injection Sub-station in Ayobo, Lagos, that the intervention projects by NDPHC cut across the entire country and is designed to complement the existing power stations as well as upgrade the entire power facilities nationwide.

'This amount is contributed by Nigeria to bring into existence 10 more power stations that will give Nigerians not less than 4770 MW of power, when completed.

We are also building hundreds of thousands of kilometre of transmission lines across the nook and crannies of this country including substations to support the transmission lines. We are also building several thousand kilometres for distribution in addition to infrastructure and substations to support it.

These projects also include the gas pipe lines within the same fund to ensure that gas flows into the generating plants' he said.

Olotu said that the upgrading of these facilities was part of efforts to improve electricity supply in the country.

He explained that NDPHC, owner of the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), has commissioned over 11 power injector sub-stations in Lagos. According to him, the NIPP initiative is in line with the transformation and power sector reform agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan's administration and would most importantly, deliver more projects this year and boost the quality of power supply to Nigerians.

The NDPHC boss maintained that more power generation would be required from the NIPP projects provided there is enough gas supply to fire the plants. He said that the development was a means of improving power supply to Lagos and its environs.