NDPHC Targets 15MW Addition To Ekiti Electricity At Ido-Ekiti 17.5MVA, 33/11 Substation

After the ongoing 17.5MVA, 33/11KV injection substation in Ido-Ekiti is completed, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) plans to add 15 megawatts of electricity to Ekiti.

Engr. IfeOluwa Oyedele, NDPHC executive director, Networks, said this during the groundbreaking ceremony for the substation in Ido-Ekiti, with its associated 33KV/11KV & LT lines and four 500KVA distribution substation transformers, noting that the power company had completed five injection substations in Ekiti state since its inception.

He stated that once the project is completed, it will improve the socioeconomic well-being of the people living in the affected areas.
“It is for the entire local government because the state of Ekiti has a power requirement of around 250MW. When you add 10 to 15 MW to that kind of load, you can see how big the difference is.

“And by reinforcing this, you will relieve other substaions of the load they are currently carrying. It is something that will benefit the entire community and its surroundings.

Following the intervention of the governor of Ekiti state, the NDPHC, in line with its mandate to improve electricity infrastructure in Nigeria, established a tripartite ad-hoc committee comprised of NDPHC, BEDC, and Ekiti state representatives to assess ways to improve electricity supply in the state, according to Oyedele.

The project being flagged off is one of ten proposed NDPHC intervention projects in Ekiti state, according to him. “We engaged with BEDC in scoping this project, and they assured us that NDPHC’s intervention in improving electricity infrastructure in this community will align with their proposed infrastructure upgrade in the Community and throughout the state.

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“Since the inception of NDPHC, we have completed about five distribution projects in Ekiti state,” he said.
Oyedele also revealed that the company has built and commissioned over 350 injection substations across the country, with a total capacity of about 3540MW.
Furthermore, since its inception in 2004, the company has built a total of 18 substations, according to his statement.
“Since its inception, NDPHC has completed 2,194km of 330kV transmission lines and 887km of 132kV transmission lines. In addition, ten (10) new 330/132kV Substations and eight (8) new 132/33kV Substations were completed and connected to the National Grid, resulting in significant increases in 330kV and 132kV capacity of 5590MVA and 3493MVA, respectively.

“Across the length and breadth of the country, NDPHC has built and commissioned over 350 injection substations with a combined capacity of about 3540MW.

“NDPHC has also built approximately 2600 kilometers of 11-kilovolt and 4600 kilometers of 33-kilovolt distribution lines to improve access to electricity and the quality of power supply to consumers.

“We have been able to build generation stations with a capacity of 5000MW in the last 14 years. I’m sure you’re aware that the entire country of Nigeria has yet to reach the 5000MW mark. So, if you add 5000MW, you’ve effectively doubled Nigeria’s generation capacity.

“We currently have over ten projects that are 99 percent complete. The contribution of the NDPHC, as I stated in one of the interviews, if all the lines built by the NDPHC were removed, Nigeria would most likely be in darkness,” Oyedele said.

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The Ekiti state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, spoke at the project’s ground breaking ceremony, saying that the state’s power supply was “grossly inadequate” and that the substation, once completed, would “bridge the supply gap.”

Fayemi praised President Muhammadu Buhari and the NDPHC management for the project and called for its completion as soon as possible.
In an interview with journalists, the Olujodo of Ido-Ekiti, Oba Ayorinde Ilori Faboro, expressed his gratitude to the government and NDPHC, revealing that with the project, businesses that had relocated from the community would return.

“First and foremost, I thank the federal government for locating the substation here. We rely heavily on electricity. We’ve been through a lot. I’m currently running on a generator, and I’ve spent a lot of money on diesel. I’m spending money on a generator that I should be using for my upkeep. So, with this substation here and the promise that it will improve my town’s electricity supply, I am overjoyed. I’m also grateful to Ekiti State’s governor, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, and everyone else who helped make it happen.

“I am confident that with good electricty, the businesses that have left this town due to poor electricty will return. It is fortunate that it has arrived in my town.

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“In Ido-Osi Local Government, there are 13 communities, and this project will benefit all of them. We are now receiving our light from Omu’Aran (Kwara state). When the light comes, it will first shine on Otun, and when Otun is happy, they will shine on Aiyetoro along the road; when Aiyetoro is happy, they will pass the light on to Usi, and when Usi is happy, they will shine on us.

As a result, we don’t always have light during the week. We only get about 50 hours of electricity in a month, which is extremely insufficient. We won’t have to wait for these people to ration our light with this substation. Rather, we will now have power here and continue to distribute to other communities,” the monarch stated.