August 16, (THEWILL) – A 3 x 150MVA power transmission substation, designed to evacuate power from Ibom power plant, Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) and the proposed QIPP power plant, has lain abandoned by the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) since 2008.
This was disclosed by the Managing Director of Ibom Power Company Limited and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Power, Engr. Meyen Etukudo, during a courtesy visit by the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, and the company’s top management to the Ibom power plant in Ikot Abasi.
Etukudo decried the unjust treatment meted out to Akwa Ibom State in the area of power transmission projects and called on the TCN management for urgent intervention.
According to him, the 3 x 150MVA transmission substation, which can take about 360 megawatts of power with a control room for ALSCON to receive power from Ibom power, has been left uncompleted till date even though the transformer arrived since April 2008.
He said: “The transmission line from Ikot Abasi to Ikot Ekpene, which is about 80 kilometres, has not been completed till today; they have not even finished the erection of the transmission tower.”
Etukudo, who was a former Assistant General Manager (AGM) Lines at TCN before joining the Akwa Ibom State Government, drew the attention of the TCN delegation to other transmission lines that were awarded within the same period and which have since been completed.
He said, “The 161-kilometre transmission line from Ikot Ekpene to Ugwuaji in Enugu State was completed over four years ago, even though it is twice the distance of the transmission line from Ikot Abasi to Ikot Ekpene.”
“The transmission line from Ugwuaji in Enugu state to Makurdi in Benue State, which is about 210 kilometres, has been completed. The line from Makurdi to Jos, about 277 kilometres, was completed over seven years ago. The only line that has remained uncompleted is the transmission line from Ikot Abasi to Ikot Ekpene.”
The MD pointed out that if the transmission line is not completed, it will pose power evacuation challenges for Ibom power plant, the proposed 575 megawatts QIPP power plant and the 500 megawatts Phase 2 of Ibom power plant because there will be no evacuation route.
Engr. Etukudo also drew the attention of the TCN delegation to the proposed 2 x 60MVA substation to be constructed at Oron, for which he said Akwa Ibom has submitted its survey report to TCN and is awaiting TCN’s response.
In his remark, the MD of TCN Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, who was appointed in acting capacity in May 2020, said TCN is aware of the ongoing transmission projects in Akwa Ibom State and expressed regrets that most of the transmission projects that commenced in the state over seven years ago now are still uncompleted.
Abdulaziz said TCN’s management has held meetings with the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) where all these projects were discussed and the BPE has given TCN till February 2022 to complete all the projects.
He said the 3 x 150MVA transmission substation abandoned by the NIPP contractor has been taken over by Siemens under the agreement with NIPP.
He said NIPP has met with all the contractors and they have agreed to complete the projects by February 2022.
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