Eko Electricity Distribution Company(EKEDC) has concluded plans to improve power supply by reaping from the embedded power plant strategy which would enable it take into its network 170 megawatts of electricity to boost supply to its customers by year-end.
This will complement what the company gets from the national grid.
Also, an additional 100 megawatts of electricity is expected to be added to the company’s operations from the recently rehabilitated 220 mw unit of Egbin Power Plc within the next three weeks.
The breakdown of this figure from the embedded power strategy, shows that a 60mw plant would come from plants sited in Orile, Kirikiri 20mw, Agbara 50mw, Apapa 20mw.
There are proposals for 10 mw each for Lekki and Victoria Island .This brings the total figure for the first phase of the projects to come, to 170mw. In the phase 1 plan, six facilities have been developed and agreed with the National Electricity Regulatory Board (NERC).
The management of the company said it expects supply to have improved tremendously by the first half of the year, as many of the planned inputs to enhance power supply would have begun to manifest positively.
Currently, it is supposed to be receiving about 500mw, but on many occasions it does not get half of that, due to the prevailing generation circumstance.
Oladele Amuda, managing director and chief executive officer of the EKO Electricity Distribution plc who spoke on measures being taken to ensure that the company’s electricity consumers get improved supply, said, “our target is 170MW from embedded power before the end of 2015 while 100 MW will come from Egbin before the end of March.”
Amuda, who disclosed this during a visit to BusinessDay’s corporate headquarters in Apapa, Lagos, however lamented the spate of vandalism of gas pipelines which had adversely affected power supply nationwide.
He said that the company, in a bid to meet the yearnings of its customers, had spent over N5.7 billion to upgrade its networks which were in serious disrepair at the time they took over the assets, more than a year ago.
In addition to upgrading the assets, he explained that the company had also entered into partnership with other private firms for embedded power generation.
He said the applications of 42 companies that wanted to partake in the embedded power generation business were currently being scrutinised by the EKEDC with the aim of taking a final decision on them very soon.
He further stated that the company was expecting 40mw from Paras, a company based in Ogere in Ogun State, adding that another power plant in Agbara was ready to give power to the company in order to improve its services to the public.
On metering, he said his organisation was targeting changing all meters on the long-run, as they could not vouch for the integrity of existing meters.
“We will give meters free to all customers but customers who want fast track meters can come forward with advance payment and meters will be delivered in 45 days.
“However, the money paid for the meters will be refunded to the customers through billing credit.”
Commenting on the challenges being faced by the company, he said the drastic fall in power supply from the national grid should be addressed because the job potential in a power driven economy is inestimable.
He then appealed to those who take delight in pipeline vandalism to stop it in the overall interest of the economy.
The other challenge the company is facing, he said, is that of transmission interface, which is a major problem militating against getting supply from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
OLUSOLA BELLO & FRANK UZUEGBUNAM
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