Niger Delta Power Holding Company has continued in its earnest strides, to lit up the Niger Delta region, bringing succour to residents in the Niger delta area in no small measure. NDPHC has kept with its mandate to improve electricity infrastructure in Nigeria, visiting communities, such as Orogun in Delta State. From interventions in the region, to revamping its gas turbines at its power plants in Calabar and Sapele to putting in comprehensive safety measures in place and proper on-time execution of projects, the Company has left over 2 million homes smiling.Before the turn-around experienced at the company, outages were the order of the day in the region. But, under the leadership of Chiedu Ugbo, its CEO, NDPHC has been providing the equivalent electricity needed to power up to 2 million Nigerian homes in the region.
A Lawyer with over 25 years experience, Chiedu’s vast experience in the Energy sector, led him to the presidency where he served as a Senior Special Assistant to the President on Power Privatisation in the Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He also acted as Head of the Advisory Power Team in the Office of the Vice President.An electric energy law specialist, Chiedu Ugbo possesses extensive experience in electricity industry reform, power project documentation and privatisation. He served as an embedded legal consultant to the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) where he assisted actively in electric power reforms and in negotiating and concluding several successful privatisation transactions.He also acted as a counsel in the transaction advisory team to BPE where he actively participated in and coordinated the legal work stream for the privatisation of 20 successor electricity companies created out of the erstwhile utility in Nigeria – Power Holding Company of Nigeria Limited. He also acted in the corporate restructuring of Niger Delta Power Holding Company Ltd and the privatisation of the electric power plants and assets held by the company.Under his supervision, NDPHC’s operations, in collaboration with necessary stakeholders, have reduced the risk of unplanned downtime of its power generation equipment.
Just recently, on May 8, 2021, NDPHC executed a jaw-dropping ground-breaking ceremony in a NDPHC/NIPP Distribution Intervention Project. The project is aimed at improving Power Supply to Orogun Town in Ughelli, Delta State.The project involves the construction of 7.5MVA, 33/11kV injection substation and 4km of 11kV lines with installation of 7nos 300KVA, 11/0.415kV Distribution substations and construction of 2.5km of low tension (LT) lines to take power to the door step of the community.Attended by dignitaries across the country, led by His Excellency, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, a thorough bred son of the soil, the 1×7.5MVA, 33/11kV injection distribution substation in Orogun, Delta State will boost power supply to the community.The injection substation which is an NDPHC/National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) intervention project would contribute to the economic activities in the community. There might be a need to quickly review what conceived the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) in 2004. The project is aimed at fast-tracking government funded initiatives to stabilize Nigeria’s electricity supply system while the private-sector-led structure of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) of 2005 took effect.According to information at our disposal, NIPP was originally designed around seven medium sized gas fired power stations in the gas producing states, and the critical transmission infrastructure needed to evacuate the added power into the national grid.
A commitment to electrify host communities in the vicinity of the power stations and major substations gave rise to the distribution component of the project.It is worthy of note that the President Muhammed Buhari led administration is still maintaining the track on which the project was borne. President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is apparently making significant efforts to end energy poverty in Nigeria by facilitating the provision of electricity to rural communities across the country.The objective of the present administration has been to ensure that the number of people who use modern energy should increase to reduce social costs and to increase social benefits.This could be achieved by the establishment of power substations across the nation, which is one of the several initiatives of the present administration aimed at addressing energy poverty in the country.The just commissioned project, a 1×7.5MVA 33/11KV injection substation, when completed will step down power from the already existing 33KV line to 11kV, disclosing that the project involves the construction of 4km of 11KV line to distribute the power to the community.Seven distribution transformers will be installed also in the community. With the injection substation in place, faults on the downstream line will not be allowed to trip the entire network.Kudos to the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, whose passion about the Niger-Delta region facilitated the huge project in the community. Following his intervention the Orogun community would astill be relying on the moribund Agbarho-Abraka 33KV line. It is also heartbreaking that the power supply is not adequate for the community, hence this purposeful intervention by Niger Delta Power Holding Company at the instance of the Deputy Senate President.
Olamide Adeniji is a member of the editorial board of TheScript Newspaper
