FG delivers equipment, accessories for 132kv power substations in Ekiti

The federal government has intensified efforts to boost electricity supply in Ekiti State with the delivery of equipment, supplies, and accessories for two 132/33KV substations, along with transmission lines, to the state.

Receiving the equipment on behalf of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) at the Omisanjana 132/33KV station in Ado-Ekiti, the State Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Professor Bolaji Aluko, accompanied by Ekiti TCN General Manager, Engr. Victor Famoroti, said the substations will be installed in Ilupeju, Ekiti, and Ijesa Isu, Ekiti.

He added that the project will further enhance the transmission of bulk power supply to the northern and other senatorial districts of the state, with a switching station at Ikere.

While lauding the Federal Government and Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, for fast-tracking the two substation projects, the commissioner stated that the additional substations are aimed at revolutionizing Ekiti State’s power sector. They will serve as a 240MVA total addition (four new transformers of 60MVA each) to the existing 140MVA (three transformers) Omisanjana substation in Ado-Ekiti.

He noted that the project is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

According to Aluko, “Those two stations will be like the Omisanjana station where we are standing right now. This project has been ongoing for almost three years, and increasingly more equipment has been delivered.

“About four or five months ago, a set of trucks like this consignment arrived. They were delivered to Ijesa Isu, Ikere, and Ilupeju, but this is the largest batch so far — 15 trucks carrying various equipment, poles, wires, and transformers.

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“All these items are in the trucks and containers, ready to be offloaded in the next few days.

“You know, this kind of work takes time. I’m sure it will still take about six months for full installation. You need to install poles, do wiring, carry out testing, and so on. We are hopeful that by the end of this year, it will be ready. We’ve been waiting for three years, so we can wait a little longer till the end of the year.”

Commending Governor Oyebanji for the installation of the Independent Power Project (IPP) — the only power-generating station in the state — the commissioner noted, “Until we had our IPP, Ekiti had no generation plant. Power generation itself has been a challenge, but now we have an IPP.

“Apart from this IPP, we’ve been depending solely on the national grid. Omisanjana is currently the only power station that receives 132KV and radiates 33KV. The two additional substations, along with the equipment being delivered, will allow us to have more stations like Omisanjana, enabling 33KV lines to radiate from multiple locations in the state and further boost electricity supply to more areas.

“These stations will bring quality electricity closer to the people. One key issue with electricity is that the farther it travels from the source to the point of consumption, the more power potency it loses. By establishing more stations across the state, electricity will reach more towns with stronger power supply than relying on a single station at Omisanjana.

“Furthermore, this project will increase the capacity of Ekiti State’s grid lines to accept more power, ensuring that neither the national grid nor new generation plants can claim there are insufficient lines to deliver power to the state,” the commissioner stated.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE