The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has confirmed the Federal Government’s strategy to escalate the electricity generation capacity from 3,500 megawatts to 6,500 megawatts within the next three to six months.
Adelabu, while on a working visit to different power projects in Lagos on Friday, stated that the objective was to improve the power supply nationwide to satisfy the increasing energy needs.
He inspected the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) headquarters and visited two 20 MVA injection substations at Randle, Surulere, including the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) monitoring facilities.
Adelabu emphasised the urgency of boosting electricity generation capacity, stating, “3,500 megawatts is not acceptable, and we have plans to increase the capacity to a minimum of 6,000 to 6,500 within the next three to six months.”
He lauded EKEDC for Its progress in the last ten years and emphasized the importance of ongoing enhancements in the power sector to effectively foster economic growth and development.
Adelabu described the government’s plan to focus on delivering services to customers in higher billing brackets initially, then progressively improving services for all customer segments through targeted investments in infrastructure.
In addition, Adelabu acknowledged the importance of Distribution Companies (DisCos) in customer service and emphasized the necessity of proactive engagement and efficient operations to effectively meet consumer demands.
He highlighted the importance of extensive changes and transformation in every part of the power sector, concentrating on challenges like metering, vandalism, debt collection, and customer relations.
Adelabu pointed out the critical need to stimulate demand through active customer interaction, ensuring the effective use of generated power, and highlighted the need for efficient distribution to reduce wastage.
The minister noted the government’s commitment to enhancing the sector’s performance through substantial investments in infrastructure and efficient customer response.
Reacting to the minister’s visit, Mr. Oritsedere Otubu, Chairman of EKEDC, acknowledged the government’s efforts in improving power supply and assured the company’s support for the initiative.
Dr Tinuade Sanda, CEO of EKEDC, said the company would continue to collaborate with government agencies and consumers to protect power assets and curb vandalism within its operations.
Sanda said that the company, in the last six months, had invested over four billion Naira on transformers, cables and rehabilitation over 352 feeders to ensure stable supply during the rainy season.
She added that the debt profile of the company in the last 10 years stood at over N131 billion, inclusive of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
“We also use this medium to appeal to our customers to pay their bills for effective service delivery.
“The MDAs outstanding debts to date stood at over N36 billion, adding that the DisCo will not hesitate to embark on mass disconnection of debtors,” she added.
Olaitan Ibrahim