NEPA assures of steady power supply by 2007
From Mike Osunde, Benin
WITH four new power stations and 10 transmission lines under construction across the country, the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) has assured that the nation's energy needs will be met by 2007.
By then, NEPA expects to generate at least 10,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity as against the 3,000 MW currently being generated by the old and ailing power stations and plants.
NEPA'S Managing Director, Mr. Joseph Makoju, announced this at a retreat for the authority's management personnel in Uromi, the Benin distribution zone at the weekend.
He said the new stations would produce a total of 4,000 megawatts, including that of the Agip Power Plant at Okpai in Ndokwa East Council of Delta State.
Makoju said these projects were part of a new master-plan for NEPA.
According to him, about N100 billion so far injected into system since 1999 may not have produced any significant improvement in the epileptic electricity supply to the nation. The reason is not because NEPA is incapable but because of the fact that it takes a considerable time for the benefit of such investments to materialise.
He said for instance, a power station takes at least three years to complete, adding that two-thirds of the N100 billion spent by the Federal Government were disbursed on on-going projects which benefits will begin to show in another two years.
Makoju said the master-plan would reverse the pre-1999 image of NEPA and show how the energy sector and power supply would evolve by 2010.
NEPA's managing director said the new transmission lines would also be different from the old ones that had no back-ups whenever they broke down.
According to him, unlike the old and unreliable transmission lines, the new ones have loops that will give alternative routes for power supply whenever a transmission line breaks down.
Makoju said that in addition to new station, the Ughelli and Sapele Power Stations would be rehabilitated to inject 150 MW and 1,000 MW into the system.
He appealed to communities that are unhappy with NEPA's performance to be patient so as to reap the benefits of the steady improvements by the investments.
He said NEPA must be privatised to achieve the required efficiency and management of power supply, adding that there was nowhere in the world that power supply was efficiently managed by the government.
To achieve this, he said there should be continuous investments by both public and private sectors of the economy and maintenance of a steady growth of 20 per cent in energy supply every year.
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