Why Borno Power Project is Delayed The Borno State Government Tuesday lamented that bureaucratic bottlenecks had delayed the take off of its proposed Independent Power Project (IPP), which was expected to add about 20 megawatts of electricity to the state. Addressing a press conference in Maiduguri, the state Commissioner for Housing and Rural Electrification, Mr. Sugum Mai Mele, said the administration of Governor Kashim Shettima, was expectant that with an additional generation of 20 megawatts of electricity, the perennial power problem in the state would be over. He said: “The state government had to constitute a committee led by the Chief of Staff and an official of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), who travelled to Germany and subsequently invited a partner.” According to him, “we have got a site for the project and we are ready for all the things needed for the project because Borno State has suffered poor supply of electricity for too long and we believe this solar power project with anticipated 20 megawatts generation will address our problem but administrative bottleneck is delaying the take off.” He said the state government had to stop in its track the take-off of the project because it would be needless doing that without first securing the license from the power regulatory commission. “We want the license to be ready before we embark on the project because the government feared the IPP could turn to abandoned project if we start without securing the license,” he explained. The commissioner also revealed that the state government had expended over N611.4 million in the last two years on ensuring that the little power distributed to the state are made available to everyone, noting that large chunk of this money was spent on purchase of transformers. He claimed that many of the transformers and power sub-station vandalised in some communities and wards have been replaced, noting that though the PHCN was responsible for the provision or replacement of vandalised power facilities but maintained that the government was concerned about the plight and well being of its people. Some of the communities that benefitted from the relief sub-station and transformers, according to him, include Gambole Ward, Damboa road, Bolori Ward I, Nursing home, Bolori Ward II, Mafoni, Pompomari Quarters and Shehuri1. He said the state government inherited about 300 applications from residents in the state for repairs of transformers and electricity facilities but stated that the Ministry of Rural Electrification was able to handle about 70 cases. Mele, who said it connected Malamfatori, a Nigeria-Niger Republic border community in the state to the National Grid having been in dark for long time, disclosed that series of meetings were held between the officials of power authority in the Republic of Niger and Nigeria, expressing joy that the meetings culminated in the connection of the community to the national grid. Culled from Thisday
Posted on: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 05:33:25 +0000
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