Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) says it plans to develop 100,000 solar home units across the country to ensure that every Nigerian has access to electricity.
Managing Director of NDPHC, Mr Chiedu Ugbo, stated this in Calabar on Wednesday while delivering a keynote address at the 2022 Seminar for Power Correspondents.
Ugbo said that NDPHC had also diversified into renewable energy and that it had has installed close to 40,000 solar home units, out of the projected 100,000.
”Aside the 20,000 home units that we installed, there are plans to add another 100,000 units across the country,” he said.
Ugbo said that the Federal Government had mandated the company, under the Economic Sustainably Plan, to work on the solar off-grid connection to ensure access to electricity by Nigerians.
He said that NDPHC was implementing the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) which was conceived in 2004 and developed to address insufficient electric power generation and excessive gas flaring from oil exploration in the Niger Delta region.
Ugbo said that NDPHC, being primarily a generation company, had also intervened in both the transmission and distribution segments of the power sector through its internally-generated revenue.
He said that the company had been operating its existing plants, adding that it had also completed those still under construction.
The NDPHC boss further stated that the company was also socially responsible through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects.
According to him, the company has delivered 4,000 megawatts of electricity in installed capacity in terms of generation.
”NDPHC has also delivered over 9,200 mega volt ampere (MVA) in transmission capacity and has also put in place lots of substations across the country.
”The company recently completed Lafia substation, which can give out 100 megawatts to Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to serve its franchise area,” he said.
Ugbo noted that the task of providing adequate electricity for the citizens had been arduous, stating that as a company owned by every Nigerian through local, state and federal governments, Nigerians looked forward to NDPHC.
”We are striving assiduously to live up to that expectation,” he said.
Ugbo appealed to Nigerians and communities where the company had installations to join hands with them, take the projects as theirs and protect them from theft and vandalism.
He said that within the last one year, NDPHC had witnessed some setbacks, particularly regarding the damage of gas pipelines and the recent pulling down of high tension towers and carting away of parts in Rivers.
The NDPHC managing director expressed appreciation to media practitioners for their roles in nation building.
”You are not called the Fourth Estate of the Realm for nothing. You serve as intermediaries between the government and the people.
”I personally have enjoyed your cooperation as we work toward achieving our goal of lighting up Nigeria,” he said. (NAN)
