The Management of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited has given an assurance that all pending National Integrated Power Projects will be completed by December this year.
The Managing Director, NDHPC, Mr. James Olotu, gave the assurance during the inauguration of three 1/15 transformers to boost electricity supply in Lagos on Wednesday.
Olotu said Vice President Namadi Sambo had ordered that contractors handling all NIPP distribution projects must ensure that they are completed by June this year, while all transmission projects would be completed by December.
He said the firm would ensure that it kept to its mandate as spelt out by the vice president, adding that about 99 per cent of the generation projects would be delivered by December.
The NDPHC boss said, “If there are reasons why some of them cannot be actualised, we will know. For now, there are absolutely no reasons for any contractor to complain about any issue that will militate against his ability to deliver.
“Nigerians should await the harvest of projects in the country; we want all the contractors to finish their projects as quickly as possible.”
Olotu said gas supply had been a major challenge for some of the NIPPs, but added that assurances had been given by President, minister of Petroleum Resources and Finance, and other stakeholders, including the International Oil Companies, that the current collaboration was targeted at ensuring the challenges were surmounted.
He said the assurance was a laudable one to the power sector.
Olotu said, “Those challenges are there but we are going to overcome them one after the other. The collaboration has started to yield fruits as we are beginning to see more gas being pumped into the system.”
“The gas is not enough but we have been assured that more gas will come into the turbines to push more electricity supply to the people.”
He said the ongoing NIPP projects had recorded a massive support from generation to transmission substation, adding that a total of 5,000 MVA transformers had been inaugurated in Lagos.
According to him, the Ministry of Power has commissioned 150 MVA in Ikeja West; 150MVA in Agbara; 2/60 MVA, 2/60 MVA at Oworonshoki in Bariga and 2/60 MVA transformers in Ojo, among others.
He said, “For Lagos, we have embarked on a major transmission project in Ajah, Lekki, Alagbon and Oke-aro in Agege.
“We believe that when the project is finally completed, Lagos residents will be happy because all the NIPP projects are targeted for completion by December 2013.”
Olotu said out of the 291 injector sub-stations projects across the country, about 40 had been completed, while the rest had reached advanced stages.