The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has disclosed that it receives about 38.24 per cent of its power supply from the national grid, thereby having a ripple effect on the extent to which it can distribute electricity to electricity consumers.
The officer in charge (technical) of the IBEDC, Mr Lawal Christoper, disclosed this at a press briefing held at its Ring Road, Ibadan office, on Tuesday, in the wake of Monday’s protest to its office by residents of the Lalupon community over prolonged non-access to electricity.
Precisely, Lawal said that while the IBEDC needed 1,250 megawatts of electricity daily to be able to sufficiently supply its customers, its supply from the national grid was presently pegged at 478 megawatts daily.
Out of the received megawatts, he said the distribution company was statutorily bound to supply 40 per cent of the electricity to Band A customers while it shares the remaining 60 per cent across customers on Band B to E.
Stressing that supply was a function of availability, Lawal said the IBEDC was now mandated by its regulators to source power to shore up its distribution capacity through renewable energy sources.
In sourcing power outside the grid, Coordinating Head, Corporate Services, Angela Olanrewaju, said the IBEDC had signed a Memoranda of Understanding with independent power providers to also use their generation to supply the public.
She stressed that the IBEDC was keen on sourcing power outside the grid, and exploring solar and hydropower sources, among others.
On the Lalupon situation, Olanrewaju promised that it would be implementing measures to ensure the power supply to Lalupon improves in about the next four weeks.
The duo of Olanrewaju and Lawal noted that the collapse of the bridge in the Olodo area of Ibadan and the construction project by the government affected poles, substations, and other electricity infrastructure due to the right of way.
They, however, said there would be a conversion of load from Asejire to Lalupon, whereby consumers before the bridge will begin to have about four hours of power daily, while there will be a cascading to back-feed electricity consumers after the bridge in about four weeks.
Noting that this was a stopgap measure, they noted that the Lalupon had been scheduled as a capital project to the tune of N1 billion, already submitted to the Federal Executive Council and awaiting approval.
They noted that the capital project funded by the federal government included the provision of a 33 kV power line, the construction of a feeder, and an injection station, among other critical electricity infrastructure.
While acknowledging its funding challenges, Olanrewaju appealed to its customers to bear with the IBEDC, as she said a lot was being done to improve supply to underserved communities.
Also present at the press briefing were the Regional Technical Manager, Oyo, Mr. Ismail Nuhu, and the Regional Head, Oyo Region, Mr Akinmusire Olumide, among others.
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