…As ECOWAS creates fund for regional electricity market
By Yange Ikyaa
The Federal Government has begun the construction of a 132 kilovolts transmission line, a 2X 60MVA transmission substation, and a switching station in Ekiti State to raise the state’s capacity by 204 megawatts (mw).
The Minister of Power, Engr. Abubakar D. Aliyu, during the recent groundbreaking ceremony in Ado Ekiti, said the project consists of a 50-kilometer stretch of 132kV transmission line from Ikere Ekiti, with a turn-in-turn-out at Ijesa Isu that terminates at Ilupeju Ekiti.
It further has a 2X60MVA, 132/33kV transmission substation with four line bays at Ijesa Isu Ekiti, with a switching station at Ikere Ekiti, also in the state.
The Minister, who was represented by the Managing Director and CEO of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, said “for TCN, this is a very strategic project and we believe it will have a massive impact on bulk power transmission in Ekiti and environs.
“The projects are part of the many projects being undertaken by the Transmission Company of Nigeria in pursuit of its grid expansion programme, which is in line with Mr. President’s mandate for the expansion of the power sector for sustainable development.”
The Minister maintained that in various transmission regions nationwide, TCN is equally executing substations and lines projects that are now at various stages of completion.
His words: “These are clear indications that the Federal Government is not relenting in its determination to ensure that the nation’s power sector receives the desired boost.
For the residents of Ekiti State and its environs, the additional 204mw capacity to the grid means that more bulk supply will be readily available for offtake by Benin Disco for its customers in Ekiti and environs.
“The substations project will also take care of suppressed load in this axis and relieve the Ado-Ekiti substation which has been overburdened to ensure a more reliable electricity supply to the people of Ekiti.”
The Minister also called on Ekiti residents to support government efforts against vandalism of power facilities and tasked them to demonstrate what he called “our collective responsibility toward preserving the nation’s power equipment in and around our communities, so that the government can concentrate on its grid expansion initiative instead of wasting funds replacing vandalized power infrastructure.”
In his remarks, the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, said the state receives just only 26MW of electricity from the national grid.
Represented by his deputy, Fayemi lamented that “this level of electricity supply is worrisome and grossly inadequate going by the energy need of our population, estimated to be around 150 megawatts in 2014. Beyond this intolerable level, the quality of the electricity supply is grossly below standard due to non-availability of adequate 132/33KV transmission line and the associated equipment that can help improve the quality of power to be delivered to our people, especially those in the Interior and the rural areas.”
The Governor further expressed that even though the project is one of the Federal Government awarded contracts, “for us as a state, the project, when completed, will complement the plans of the Ekiti State Government at improving the quality of energy supply to the 16 local government areas of the state.”
Meanwhile, the West African Power Pool (WAPP) is planning to create a “Liquidity Enhancement Revolving Fund (LERF),” for the ECOWAS regional electricity market.
The Chairman of the Executive Board of WAPP, Engr. Dr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, stated this during the 54th meeting of the Executive Board Meeting held in Cotonou, Benin Republic recently.
According to him, “the review and adoption of the documents proposed by the Task Force on the creation of the Liquidity Enhancement Revolving Fund (LERF). The creation of this fund will provide the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Market with a very important tool for electricity trading by reducing the level of outstanding bills, thereby providing stakeholders in the trade with a high degree of robustness and sustainability.”
Speaking further at the meeting which is the second this year, he urged the participants to examine the documents carefully and make relevant comments on the documents proposed by the WAPP Finance Committee.
The WAPP Board Chairman also lauded the well documented 2021 financial statement of the organization, commenting that “when I look at the financial statement, I get the feeling that WAPP is working hard and is quite transparent as shown by the independent audit, this attests that the financial statements are regular, sincere, and in accordance with international standards.”
In his remarks, the Secretary General of the WAPP Executive Board, Siengui Ki Apollinaire, emphasized that the latest financial statements were declared transparent.
Ki explained that “the 2021 budget was executed transparently and rigorously, and it is with pleasure that I announce that the 2021 consolidated financial statements of our organization have been declared regular, sincere, and compliant with international standards by a well know independent auditor.”
He also expressed gratitude to Mr. Patrice Talon, President of the Republic of Benin, for the hospitality extended to the organization and for hosting the meeting.
The participants also observed a minute’s silence for late Dr. Joseph Makoju, an honorary member of the organization from Nigeria, who passed away in April this year, for his contributions to the development of WAPP.