The Senate has called the Federal Ministry of Power and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to take action to improve the distribution of electricity from the Okpai Independent Power Plant, ensuring it benefits the Delta North Senatorial District and also take necessary steps to ensure the completion of the contract awarded by TCN for the construction of a 132KV Double Circuit Transmission Line, aimed at resolving electricity supply challenges in Ndokwa nation and the Delta North Senatorial District.
This was a sequel to a motion moved by Senator Ned Munir Nwoko, senator representing Delta North senatorial district, at the plenary on Thursday, urging for the urgent need to address the unexplained delay in electricity step-down of Okpai independent power plant.
Nwoko explained that Nigeria boasts 23 Power Generating Plants, also known as Independent Power Plants (IPPs), that are interconnected with the National Grid. These plants have a combined capacity to generate 11,165.4 megawatts of electricity. One of these facilities is the Okpai Independent Power Plant, situated in the Ndokwa East Local Government Area of the Delta North Senatorial District in Delta State. This power plant operates a functional 930-megawatt gas-fired power generation facility that contributes to Nigeria’s power supply grid.
He further noted that in April 2005, former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, commissioned the Okpai Independent Power Plant and ordered the immediate implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the plant. This included the provision of 50 megawatts of electricity to benefit the host communities within a 50-kilometer radius from the plant.
“…at the time of the plant’s commissioning in 2005, it generated only 480 megawatts of electricity. Nevertheless, it played a crucial role in the national power distribution system in Nigeria by supplying electricity to nine distant states in the country, including Anambra, Enugu, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, among others.
“Okpai Independent Power Plant has been upgraded to provide a functional 930 megawatts of electricity with another order and understanding to increase the power supply to host communities from 50 megawatts to 100 megawatts. This extension will include host community beneficiaries from the entire Delta North Senatorial District of Delta State.
“Okpai Independent Power Plant has earned a reputation as the most consistent power plant in the country. To enhance its electricity supply, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) awarded a contract worth approximately 4.2 Billion Naira in 2021 for the construction of a 132KV Double Circuit Transmission Line. However, to date, there have been unexplained delays in executing the contract project”, the lawmaker stated.
Senator Ned Nwoko further expressed worry that despite the presidential pronouncement in 2005 and the upgrade of the Okpai Plant to 930 megawatts, the people of Ndokwa nation and the entire Delta North Senatorial District continue to lag seriously behind in the supply of electricity. He said that this is the case even though the Okpai Plant hosts several oil companies in its vicinity, including Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Sterling Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO), Energia Limited, Mid-western Oil and Gas Limited, Pillar Oil Limited, Chorus Energy Limited, and more.
