The Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) has sought the intervention of the Akwa Ibom State Government to resolve community and wayleave challenges that have stalled the 330kV Ikot Abasi Transmission Line for nearly two decades.
 
The company said it was targeting May 29, 2027, for the commissioning of the long-delayed project, subject to the resolution of the outstanding issues.
 
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NDPHC, Jennifer Adighije, made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, seeking the state government’s intervention to unlock the project and facilitate its completion.
 
The transmission line was awarded in 2006 under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) programme. Adighije said community and compensation-related issues had become the principal obstacle to its completion.
 
She said the last valuation of the outstanding wayleave obligations put the cost of resolving the issues at slightly below N4 billion, while the contractor, Anit Energy, had reportedly completed about 90 per cent of the engineering, procurement and construction.
 
According to her, substantial project materials, including conductors and tower members worth millions of dollars, had already been deployed along the corridor between Adiasim and Ikot Ekpene but were now lying across several communities due to the prolonged impasse.
 
“We are therefore pleading for your kind intervention as a shareholder and board member of the company,” Adighije said.
 
She expressed optimism that the governor’s intervention would enable the contractor to return to the site and complete the project.
 
Responding, Eno welcomed the initiative and pledged to take the matter to the State Executive Council to determine the appropriate support the state government could provide towards resolving the outstanding issues.
 
The governor said the state would examine the matter in detail and explore avenues for intervention to ensure that the long-delayed project moves forward.
   
Adighije also said NDPHC had commenced engagement with the Akwa Ibom State Electricity Regulatory Commission to develop appropriate electricity market frameworks for the state.