By Egena Sunday Ode
The Federal Government has assured that electric power supply in the country will witness significant improvements in the next couple of weeks.
Minister of Power (State) Jerry Agba disclosed this Wednesday while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting at the Aso Rock Preaidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, the major impediment to power generation and distribution which had to do with has supply which been moved out it the way, thereby creating a leeway for an improved power supply.
He said: “You’ll agree with me that of late, we’ve had problems with gas supplies for generational companies. We just negotiated with the gas supply companies, NNPC limited to augment gas supplies to distributors at the going local rate. Gas was sold to them at export rate, whose price differs and they collection is made on domestic rates. So there was a differential and the argument, however, we had an agreement with the NNPCL and and natural gas company to supply gas to GENCOs commencing from last week, and they are buying at local price not at the export price.
“So with that we hope in the very near future in a week or two should have improved generation and supply. Distribution is going to be done by DISCOs which is why we are doing everything possible for transmission company to have all the equipment necessary for effective transmission. We hope and I assure you that power generation and distribution as well as will improve despite the rains that have come in now.”
The Miniater also disclosed that two memos were approved by the FEC to enable the ministry discharge its mandate.
He said: “And gentlemen of the press. The Ministry of power had two memos today, essentially, the first one being an approval for the award of contract for the procurement of 25 numbers of 33 KV circuit breakers and 120 numbers of surge arrestors for systems used for Transition Company of Nigeria.
“You know, we are bent on providing an improving services on electricity to Nigerians. TCN is the main body that has to do the transmission. You know generation and distribution is in private hands now so government is only responsible for transmission.
“So most of the equipment have become obsolete over the years which is why you have breaking transmissions, low power outage, low power supplies and outages here and there. With this refurbishments and new procurements, we should be able to improve services and see power supply get better by the day.
“The contract value is in the neighborhood of N140 million as argumentation for that. The contract has been awarded before they are ongoing, but we asked for approval for revaluation due to price escalation and additional works. We’re building new sub stations in one of the places.
“The second one was the approval for the variation due to price escalation on the construction of the Dukanbo Shonga 132 KV double circuit transmission line. Shonga is in Kwara State and that line has been down for several years. So with this procurement, we should be able to revemp the station and you know is an agro based area that’s the area which service the Bacita farm, the shunga farms limited and the whole of that area has been in darkness for a long time. With this procurement we hope that in two months, we should have full power supply to those areas and restore farming and processing activities in that area. The cost is N1.5 billion.”
