By Festus Ahon, ASABA
CHAIRMAN of Bastanchury Power Solutions Nigeria Limited, Mr Chidi Goziem, has said the impact of the Independent Power Plant, IPP would rob off on the entire Asaba community through improved power supply and security.
The project, which was commissioned by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday, is generating 8.5 Megawatts of electricity for Asaba, the Delta State capital.
The project was executed by Bastanchury Power Solutions Nigeria Limited with a five per cent equity share by the Delta State Government, which has over 25 kilometres of complimentary underground cables to supply power to all the state government assets and facilities in Asaba.
Goziem told Journalists that the IPP would improve the socio-economic lives of the people in Asaba.
The Managing Director of the Company, Mr Niran Ajakaiye, who also spoke with newsmen, said the project came to fruition because of the state government’s commitment to buy the power generated.
Saying with government assets fully supplied from the IPP, Ajakaiye said
the load shedding in Asaba metropolis from the electricity distribution companies would be reduced to the barest minimum.
He said: “The supply that would have come from the distribution companies to the state government institutions would be redistributed to households and other corporate organisations, translating to longer hours of electricity supply for the capital city.
“The partnership is that we said we will build, finish everything, then the state made the commitment to buy power from us.
“Everything here is funded by us not by the state. Their part is that they committed to buying, they guaranteed an off-take for us.
“Now, they are enjoying it, even paying cheaper than what they would have gotten from DISCO because it is a bulk purchase, so you can negotiate a discount
“All the government assets in Asaba are covered, it is like buying a big generator for all your assets.
“Local businesses would also thrive because of a more regular power supply. If all the government facilities are taken off the grid, DISCO can now provide sustainable longer coverage to other areas, reducing load shedding to a very minimal percent.
“That is the multiplier effect, business will grow because they would not load shed. Government hospitals, public health centres, the courts, street lights, airport and other institutions of government are all connected to this IPP.”
Insisting that it was not true that the plant was built without Environmental Impact Assessment, he said the state government had no equity stake in the enterprise but that five percent was magnanimously gifted to the state.
He maintained that the company has the capacity to expand its areas of coverage outside government facilities, adding that the laws would need to be revisited to do that.
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