By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja

The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) is repositioning to significantly improve its commercial performance and extract greater value from its vast power assets, Vice President Kashim Shettima has said, as the company marked its 20th anniversary.

Shettima, who is Chairman of the NDPHC Board, said the enactment of the Electricity Act 2023 has provided the company with clearer legal authority, greater commercial flexibility and a stronger institutional footing to operate competitively in Nigeria’s evolving electricity market.

Speaking at the anniversary celebration held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja, the Vice President said the new law marks a “defining turning point” that would enable NDPHC to transition from a purely intervention-driven entity into a commercially disciplined and performance-focused enterprise.

“For the first time, the Company operates within a framework that offers clearer legal authority, greater commercial flexibility, and stronger institutional footing to compete, to partner, and to grow within a more open and dynamic electricity market,” Shettima said.

He noted that while NDPHC has made substantial investments in generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), the full commercial value of those assets has not always been realised.

According to him, structural challenges in the power market, gaps in sector reforms, gas supply constraints and legacy contractual arrangements have limited the company’s ability to optimise returns.

He pointed out that while “asset creation has been significant, value realisation has not always kept pace,” adding that these constraints were not a failure of vision but a reflection of the complexity of reforming a foundational sector like power.

Earlier, Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, underscored NDPHC’s critical role in the nation’s economy over the past 20 years, describing the company as a key pillar in expanding and safeguarding Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity.

He said through the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), NDPHC has developed generation plants and associated value-chain infrastructure across the country, creating one of the largest portfolios of government-backed power assets in Africa.

“Whether you work in the field restoring turbines, in control rooms ensuring dispatch, in procurement securing parts and services, or in offices shaping policy and stakeholder engagement, your contributions are evident in the plants operating today and the lives benefiting from improved electricity supply,” Adelabu said.

Adelabu disclosed that NDPHC has recently restored 345 megawatts of generation capacity to the national grid, including 120MW from Omotosho NIPP, 112.5MW from Benin NIPP, and 112.5MW from Ihovbor NIPP.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Dr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, has commended the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Engr. Jennifer Adighije, describing her performance as outstanding within the short period she has assumed leadership of the company.

In her opening remarks, NDPHC Managing Director, Engr. Jennifer Adighije, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s energy infrastructure and supporting national development.

She said beyond power generation, NDPHC has successfully executed projects across the transmission and distribution segments of the electricity value chain.

“In the transmission segment alone, we have added over 9,000 MVA of installed transformer capacity, rolled out transmission substations, line-bay extensions, and constructed hundreds of kilometres of transmission lines across the country,” she said.

Adighije noted that under her leadership, NDPHC is adopting a customer-centric approach and leveraging the Electricity Act to deepen strategic collaborations with bilateral partners, eligible customers, regional partners under the West African Power Pool, and other market participants.