NDPHC seeks NISO’s partnership to transmit 2,000MW stranded electricity

The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) has sought the partnership of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) to transmit 2,000 megawatts of stranded electricity currently lying idle across its power plants in the country.

Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) NDPHC, Engineer Jennifer Adighije, made the request when she led a team comprising the Executive Director (Legal Services), Dr Steven Andzenge and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Geregu Power Plant, Abiose Olayiwola, during a courtesy visit to the NISO headquarters in Abuja.

According to Engineer Adighije, NDPHC is leaving no stone unturned in reaching bilateral agreements with eligible customers to optimise its stranded power capacity.

The NDPHC chief, while demanding fairer treatment of her company in power load allocation, said despite owning the largest portfolio of generation assets in the country, NDPHC is constantly overlooked due to the absence of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBE

She said, “We are actively working on bilateral agreements with eligible customers to optimize our stranded capacity. However, equitable treatment in the market is essential for us to fully contribute to national power supply.”

Engineer Adighije noted that several generating units had been recovered across its power stations as she revealed that the Alaoji Power Plant, which has been offline for two years, will be reconnected to the grid by August.

She stated that NDPHC was not receiving adequate dispatch consideration although it is the largest investor in Nigeria’s power sector with over 50 330kV substations, 25 132kV substations and more than 9,000 MVA in added transformer capacity.

“Since I assumed office, our focus has been on optimisation, improving operations and commercialising our stranded capacity. In just nine months, we have improved plant availability by over 100 percent. Another unit at Omotosho will be recovered by the end of this month.

“NDPHC is government-owned and has made massive contributions across the electricity value chain. We expect this to be taken into account when decisions about dispatch are made,” she added.

Managing Director, NISO, Engineer Abdul Bello, in his remarks assured that NDPHC would be treated fairly like all other players in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

He said NISO was already introducing measures to fortify and amplify the national grid while giving assurance to work with key stakeholders such as NDPHC to enhance electricity generation and distribution across the country.

He said, “You are the largest utility in Nigeria, with 10 power stations and a minimum of 5,000MW installed capacity. If we can optimise that capacity, Nigeria will be better for it.

“NISO is committed to optimising the national grid and supporting participants like NDPHC to improve the country’s power base.”

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