NDPHC constructs 3,540MW substations, unveils power infrastructure in Ondo

Government’s electricity generation intervention agency, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited, said it has veered from its power generation mandate to construct over 350 Injection Substations with a combined capacity of about 3,540MW across the length and breadth of the country.

The agency also said it has further constructed about 2,600km of 11KV and 4600km of 33KV distribution lines for improvement of access to electricity and quality of power supply to consumers.

This is as the agency disclosed that it has started the construction of 1×2.5MVA 33/11KV injection substation with associated 33kV/11kV & LT lines & installation of three no’s 500kVA distribution substation transformers in Ondo State.

The project, flagged off by the state Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu is expected to improve distribution capacity in parts of the state, especially Owo, where the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic is located, a release from the company has noted.

Akeredolu who was represented by his deputy, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, stated that the technical details of the project and its benefits; an upgrade from 2.5MVA to 7.5MVA, would address critical areas of concern in the state .

“This is another landmark achievement in the power sector. There is no gainsaying the fact that power supply is very significant to our individual and national lives. Nigeria has had a long history of problematic public power supply but when the All Progressive Congress (APC) government came on board, we promised to change the narrative through massive infrastructural development, policy direction and necessary reform to increase supply to the Nigerian populace.

“Access to adequate electricity in educational facilities like Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, will certainly improve learning processes and the general condition. It will no doubt enable night academic activities, which are critical to academic pursuit. Also, illumination of campus premises in the night will aid security operations and discourage criminal activities. It will also increase economic activities on campus and its environs.

“With regular power supply on campus, students will have access to electrical appliances and tools like computer and internet facilities to enhance their education, which will further grant them access to further educational resources online, improve their assimilation rate and narrow the digital divide through information and communication technology,” he said.

NDPHC’s Executive Director, Networks, IfeOluwa Oyedele insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari was determined to take power to the people.

“Just about three weeks ago, the President commissioned the 330/132/33KV transmission substation built by NDPHC in Lafia, capital of Nasarawa State. From the Governor down to ordinary people on the streets, residents of Nasarawa State were ecstatic following the commissioning because their lives have been positively affected. Before then, it was almost impossible to run even an air-conditioning unit in the Government House with a public power supply,” Oyedele said.

Admitting that it was not the duty of NDPHC to handle the projects, Oyedele explained however, that the company intervenes because those with the mandate to provide transmission and distribution service “do not have the capacities to extend power supply to all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.”

So far, NDPHC has constructed and commissioned over 350 Injection Substations with a combined capacity of about 3,540MW across the length and breadth of the country. It has further constructed about 2,600km of 11KV and 4600km of 33kV distribution lines for improved access to electricity and quality of power supply to consumers.