By GLADYS ABUGOH

The ongoing multi-billion dollar Federal Government emergency power intervention project for the additional supply of 4,774 megawatts is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2014, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, Mr James Abiodun Omo Olotu, has said.

The progressive delivery of the additional generation capacity is targeted to be completed by December 2013, with the exception of a few high- tech customized equipments that would spill over to the following year.

Olotu, who disclosed this at the weekend, while commissioning the newly upgraded Ikeja West Substation (330/132KV) in Ayobo, Lagos, disclosed that Nigeria has committed about $8billion in the establishment of 10 power stations in pursuit of additional 4,774MW.

He said that four out of the 10 stations have already been completed in Lagos, Delta, Ondo and Ogun States, all contributing about 1,500MW to the national grid. The remaining six power stations which are almost 90% completed and scheduled for commissioning, will generate over 2,500MW.

Olotu said, “NIPP which is mandated to deliver power nationwide through capacity building and massive rehabilitation/maintenance of existing power plants, is also building hundreds of thousands of kilometers of transmission lines across the nook and crannies of this country, including substations. We are also building several thousands of kilometers of distribution lines as well as infrastructure and support substation.”

Lamenting that Nigeria has always suffered from capacity shortages in generation and distribution, the NDPHC boss said his company has also embarked on building gas pipelines that will supply gas to these power stations in order to realize the new generation targets.

Also speaking at the occasion, the General Manager, Distribution, Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Lagos, Mr. Oyeleke Adeoye, explained that by upgrading the Ikeja West Substation to 750 MVA with the newly introduced 150 MVA, the station would generate additional 25 percent power adding that this improvement is already seen in the Lagos area. He said the increased capacity of the Substation will not only serve the whole of Lagos, butalso parts of Ogun state up to Abeokuta.

Regarding the maintenance programme for the Substation, Abeoye explained that there are regular and annual maintenance programs for each equipment and the facility as a whole as set out by the TCN.

On whether Nigerians should expect more intervention projects from NIPP, Olotu said his agency has made a commitment to Nigerians to deliver power by commissioning a project every month across the nation with Ibadan and Benin projects next on the line for commissioning.

Noting that power generation is a costly venture, he further argued that with the wide geographical spread of Nigeria the intervention output of 4,774MW would be used up speedily. “Development is associated with the capacity of power that each nation has; the more power a nation has the more the nation will develop.

The more rapidly you develop your power infrastructure the more rapidly you develop your economy and social life. So the 4,774MW will soon be eaten up by the suppressed load that exist right now and the pace of development,” he said.

He, therefore, urged Nigerians to join hands with government to develop the power sector and to take a cue from China and the United States, by increasing power generation capacity every year to match the pace of industrialization.