Ekiti energizes 3.5MW Independent Power Project, distributes 700KW electricity to Government house, secretariat, other key locations
Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun, Ekiti State Commissioner for Information during a facility tour of the proposed 5MW Power Plant Station in Ado Ekiti,
Oredola Adeola
The Ekiti State Government has successfully energized its state-owned 3.5-megawatt Independent Power Project (IPP) with the distribution of 700kw of electricity to the Governor’s Office, Government House, State Secretariat Complex, House of Assembly Complex, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), and streetlights along major roads in the metropolis, among several important locations in the state.
Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun, State Commissioner for Information, made this known during a facility tour of the Power Plant Station in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday.
According to him, the IPP is currently guaranteeing uninterrupted power supply to the Governor’s Office, Government House, State Secretariat Complex, House of Assembly Complex, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, (EKSUTH), and streetlights along major roads in the metropolis among others.
The Commissioner added that the tourism hub in Ikogosi, Erijinyan, and Ipole-Iloro axis has also been connected back to the National grid through a dedicated feeder line from the 132/33KVA power substation at Omisanjana in Ado Ekiti after almost two decades of power outage.
He disclosed that the project initiated by the immediate past administration headed by Dr. Kayode Fayemi and completed by Governor Biodun Oyebanji was one in the series of interventions to address inherent challenges and shortage of electricity supply to the State.
He further hinted that the development is geared towards boosting industrialization and socio-economic development of Ekiti state, as well as enhancing good governance.
He noted that doing away with the hitherto ubiquitous generators with the attendant huge cost of diesel and environmental pollution used to power public facilities like streetlights and government offices would block a lot of wastage.
Reiterating the commitment of the Biodun Oyebanji administration to the general well-being of people in the State, Olatunbosun therefore revealed that the completion of the Power plant came on the heels of several other similar interventions including the restoration of electricity at Ekiti East and Gbonyin (Ayekire) Local Government Areas within his one year in office after fifteen years of blackout.
Stressing the determination to boost the local economy and propel industrial development via robust growth of Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the State, Olatunbosun said that the government places a high premium on the provision of a stable supply of electricity across the state to serve as an impetus and a major boost to the growth of SMEs.
Rt. Hon. Olatunbosun, therefore, appealed for the continued support of residents for the Government’s efforts at developing the State and improving their lot, stressing the need for stakeholders to take ownership of public projects and ensure their safety.
Prof. Bolaji Aluko, Ekiti State Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, in his remark, said that the project had been tested successfully for two weeks with 700kw distributed so far out of the total strength of 3.5 megawatts and room for expansion.
Prof. Aluko added that the test which covered the Governor’s Office, Government House, State Secretariat Complex, House of Assembly Complex, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, (EKSUTH), and streetlights along major roads in the metropolis among others, would be expanded to cover private concerns on a willing buyer, willing seller basis.
The Technical Director, Ekiti IPP Limited, Engr. (Mrs.) Odunayo Lanre-Bamodu said the project is fully in operation and it has been working perfectly for about two weeks, she noted that government facilities across Ado Ekiti are benefiting from the electricity source.
Bamodu noted that the project is a metropolitan power source with 11kilometers underground distribution network as well as several substations and Ring Main Units (RMUs), two generating sets of 1.5MW and 1.25MW totaling 2.65MW is in place for the power plant, adding that there is room for expansion.
Stressing that the project runs a 24-hour uninterrupted power supply, Bamodu said that individuals and corporate organizations can benefit from the plant as there is provision for expansion in the future.
She also said that Ekiti IPP Limited has commenced training and retraining of people to impact and transfer knowledge adding that indigenous youths would benefit tremendously from the project in the form of job opportunities and acquisition of knowledge.
EnergyDay gathered that the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in August 2023, granted the embedded generation license to the Ekiti Independent Power Project (IPP) Limited situated in the state capital, Ado Ekiti.
NERC also granted an independent electricity distribution license to Olokiti Power Distribution Limited, also in Ado Ekiti in compliance with the Nigerian Electricity Act, signed by President Tinubu granting sub-national access to participate in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
While the IPP is expected to be expanded above 5MW, the state government has revealed that interested private concerns would also benefit from the project on a buyer and willing sellers basis.
