TELL Magazine

The managing director of Ossiomo Power Plant in Edo State, Dr. Uwa Igiehon, has assured that communities across the three senatorial districts of the state will soon start to enjoy stable electricity supply, courtesy of the company.

Speaking on Sunday at a media briefing, Igiehon said this is in line with Governor Godwin Obaseki’s renewed effort to tackle the challenges of power supply in the state, and spur industrialisation.

Igiehon said the project, which had ensured stable electricity to power government establishments and public infrastructure within the Benin metropolis, will now be extended outside to ensure steady power supply across all Edo communities.

While reassuring on the expansion of infrastructure to supply 24-hour power across the state, Igiehon said “We are not resting on our oars. We will provide more and extend; and particularly with the new law in Edo State, we are more empowered to achieve even more.

“There is a very definite plan by Governor Obaseki to extend the facility to other senatorial districts in the state, and we certainly will do that. And whatever issues that come up, whether gas, generation, transmission, or distribution, we have the capacity to tackle and solve them.”

He further called for the support and participation of electricity users and other stakeholders in the state towards achieving a liberalised electricity market in line with the vision of the government.

Reacting to the disruption of gas supply to the Ossiomo Power Plant in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha local government area of the state, Igiehon said all necessary measures have been put in place to mitigate the problem.

He however noted that the power plant does not owe the government or any other person for the supply of gas, adding, “Let me make it absolutely clear that we are one of the few power companies in this country that does not owe gas suppliers.

“The way we run our business is a cash flow waterfall. Our customers pay us and we pay them. We don’t owe them any money, and they have an obligation to supply gas. It is for them to explain why, within their system, they are not able to supply consistently.”

The Ossiomo MD noted, “It has become imperative for everyone to be involved. We have done our best, and now we have the wider public who are customers and users of electricity, including the state government and other prominent locations in the state.”

The Ossiomo Power project is a brainchild of the Obaseki-led government to make the state self-sustaining in power supply. The 95MW facility was the product of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Ossiomo Power Company, and powers government offices and hospitals, as well as streetlights in Benin metropolis.

Emotan Gardens Estate, Edo Tech Park, Edo Creative Hub, among others, similarly enjoy 22-24 hours of stable electricity supply daily from the facility. The power is also being extended to the Edo Enterprise and Industrial Park, among others.

The state has also passed the bill repealing the Rural Electricity Board Law of 1972 to re-enact a new law that makes provision for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for residents of the state, paving the way for the establishment of an electricity market in the state.

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