Electric power supply is the most important commodity for national development in any nation. The Niger Delta Power Holding Company of Nigeria is responsible for generating, transmitting, distributing and selling electric power to the various consumers within its jurisdiction. Although regular power supply is essential to the rapid development of any society, power supply in Nigeria is erratic and unreliable.
There are various stages of power generation and some of the factors responsible for power outages. These factors include: overcurrent fault, earth fault, planned outages and load shedding. These problems were found to span the various stages of power generation and they also included generation capacity; insufficient and old equipment, unsuitable transmission structure, long, fragile network with lack of loops as well as high transmission and distribution losses.
The company was able to surmount some challenges facing it between 2015 and now which include shortage of gas to the NIPP Power Stations in the Western Delta Ogorode, Benin (Ihovbor), Omotosho and Olorunsogo, inadequate transmission capacity to evacuate power from the Eastern Delta plants, quick completion of the 12 circuit 330kV Ikot-Ekpene Switching Station and the dual circuit 330kV transmission lines from the Alaoji and Calabar Power Stations as well as the completion of the first circuit (line2) of the Ikot-Ekpene to Ugwuaji four circuit 330kV.
Others are inadequate gas pipeline infrastructure in the Eastern Delta (Alaoji and Calabar), completion of the NOPL by Total for gas supply to Alaoji Power Station, completion of the Seven Energy dedicated pipelines from Uquo to Calabar.
With over 10 power plant projects scattered all over Nigeria, the Niger Delta Holding Company is committed to establishing a long lasting infrastructure to tackle the power issue in Nigeria in collaboration with the Nigerian Government. NDPHC is a trailblazer in the realm of bilateral agreement initiatives with distribution companies (DisCos) within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
Notably, the intervention of NDPHC is in three mainstream power sectors — generation, transmission and distribution.
The management team for the company has held an impetus and strong force in turning its fortunes around.
Following its inauguration, the NDPHC team headed by Mr Chiedu Ugbo, the Managing Director/CEO, with Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele as the Executive Director Engineering and Technical Services and Mallam Shehu Babayo the Executive Director Finance and Administration, immediately set off at a round pace with their agenda in focus.
According to the Cable, the management was able to accomplish impressive and sustainable what is called incremental power in the sector for the country, in the three areas of generation, distribution and transmission. And since the new Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, took over, he has focalized the projects with scrupulous supervision.
Electricity Transmission is the bulk movement of electrical energy from a generating plant to an electrical substation. The interconnecting 330kV and 132kV transmission lines which facilitate this movement are known as transmission networks/grid.
This is distinct from the local wiring between high-voltage substations and customers, which is typically referred to as electric power distribution. The NDPHC’s transmission development plan amongst others comprises power evacuation and grid expansion/enhancement.
The Niger Delta Power Holding Company unlike some of its co-discos is Nigeria’s generation, distribution and transmission infrastructure backbone and provider.
Stakeholders describe it as a national pride and one paradigm of a successful government’s incorporated limited liability company delivering stellar services in line with its mandate.
Its mandate is clear and unmistakable: to manage the power projects tagged, “ The National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP)’’, a power intervention initiative involving the construction of seven (and later 10) medium-sized gas-fired power plants and associated gas infrastructure, and the critical transmission infrastructure needed to evacuate the added power into the national grid.
The NDPHC has continued to operate these power plants in the interest of the Nigerian economy, despite undesirable security challenges and an accumulated debt owed by the electricity market. –NDPHC contribution represents over 40 per cent of power requirement in the grid despite the huge debt owed NDPHC by the Electricity Market.
Many of the NIPP power plants on the national grid also provide ancillary services like spinning reserve to support the system operations, a contribution critical for stabilizing the national grid.
The NDPHC has over 3000MW of generation capacity available for deployment if the grid permits and this represents the best opportunity for the rapid improvement of power supply to the teaming Nigerians. It is important to note that completed power plants include 750MW Olorunsogo II, 450MW (Ogorode)Sapele, 434MW Geregu II, 450MW Omotosho II, 450MW Ihovbor, 450MW Alaoji, 563MW Calabar and 225MW Gbarain.
Imminently completed ones include 225MW Omoku, 338MW Egbema and 530MW Alaoji steam machines that would wrap up the total available capacity of the plants to 1, 774MW on full completion.
NDPHC has taken the country to “next level’’ of re-engineering its operations with the attendant results of pulling the nation out of seemingly intractable power outages and collapse of power infrastructure in the country.
However, having played a pivotal role in the current increase in installed capacity of close to 13GW in the last ten years, stakeholders hope that NDPHC will continue to play a role in end-to-end infrastructure development in the sector.
Olamide Adeniji is a member of the editorial team of TheScript Newspaper
