8th July, 2014
The Niger Delta Power Holding Company Ltd (NDPHC) says it has concluded plans to handover distribution and transmission sub-stations to Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to boost power supply in the country.
The NDPHC Head of Communication and Public Relations, Mr. Yakubu Lawal, made this known in an interview in Abuja on Monday.
He said the sub-stations, which were scattered across the 11 Discos in the country, would also include some electrical power transformers to improve the service delivery of the Discos.
“Aside the construction of the National Integrated power project (NIPP) to generate power, we are set to handover transmission and distribution facilities to enhance service delivery,” he said.
He gave a breakdown of some of the auxiliary power projects completed by NDPHC to include about 40 transmission lines, 45 transmission sub-stations and 20 sub- station extensions.
The others were telecommunication protection infrastructure to cover all NIPP power plants and transmission lots.
NDPHC assured that phase two of the NIPP, which would focus on the construction and upgrade of the hydropower stations would commence after the phase one handover was completed.
He said the Federal Government had already approved about 1.5 billion dollars of the 5.8 billion dollars realised from the sale of the 10 power plants to be channelled into the development of the sector.
He said that the about 16 hydropower stations would be upgraded and constructed to boost and augment power generation in the country.
This, he said, include the 3,050 megawatt Mambila hydropower station in Taraba.
Lawal said that a Federal Government delegation, which would include Ministers of Finance and Power, would soon embark on a tour of some of the major hydro-dams in China.
The delegates would finalise the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Chinese for the construction of the project.
He said the NDPHC was also in the process of negotiating with relevant stakeholders for a proper gas price template so as to ease the payment for gas to power the project.
Lawal expressed optimism that with the completion of the various power projects in the country, power supply would soon improve in the country.