By EDIRI EJOH

The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) has fully handed over the newly built largest power transmission plant in Nigeria, Akute Power Plant, to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

NDPHC, the operator of the NIPP projects had commissioned the plant located in Oke-Aro community, Ogun State last year, but completely handed the plant to TCN at the weekend, having completed the provisions of the contract.

TCN is therefore expected to fuly utilise the state-of-the-art facility to improve power supply to Nigerians.

The Deputy General Manager, Civil Field Operations, NDPHC/NIPP, Claudius Ogunrinde, said: “The project has been completed and commissioned; and the company has been running it under contractual terms. Today marks the proper and complete handover of the facility to TCN.

“We are here to examine the effectiveness of what we have done about a year ago and some of the factors listed to be improved upon, and we have seen that most of them have been done and the job is excellently executed to the RFP specified standard, he said.

He further explained that TCN was allowed to take partial control of the facility since last year but with a clause in other to acquaint them with the technology and ensure that the plant starts serving Nigerians.

“The clause was that : In case any of the equipments develop problem, they have a warrantee for one year, the contractor that did the job (EPC,) should also be around to help solve the problem and guide the staff on how to run the station without problems. The waranty is over today and it becomes the baby of TCN completely,” he said.

To aid electricity consumption by Nigerians, the transmission plant is meant to step down power from 330kva to 132kva and then to 33kva. The 33kva is where the Discos and consumers are getting supply from.