Delta undertakes 83 energy projects worth N3.9bn
Delta State government has undertaken a total of 83 energy projects at the cost of N3.9 billion in the last three years.
Also, in order to facilitate economic activities in the rural areas of the state, the ministry of energy through its parastatals – rural development agency – executed over 32 projects with an estimated cost of N507,025,050.00 within the period.
This is as the administration has paid the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) bills for government offices and residential quarters amounting to N109,727,064.27, as part of its resolve to facilitate and sustain conducive working condition of the workforce.
The commissioner of energy, Newworld Safugha, made the disclosure when he spoke at the ongoing 2018 ministerial briefing at the ministry of information, Asaba.
He noted that though the power sector was now under the purview of the private sector to provide electricity in the country, the state government had intervened and would continue to intervene in various ways because of the exigency in the sector and commitment of Governor Okowa to the people of the state.
According to Safugha, under the electricity power supply, the state government in its interventionist efforts has facilitated the reconnection of communities to the national grid, reinforced, rehabilitated and upgraded electricity power supply infrastructures throughout the state.
He disclosed that in its pro-active efforts to ensure peaceful co-existence between electricity power providers and consumers in the state, the ministry held series of meetings with the BEDC management and communities that were disconnected from the national grid by the BEDC.
The outcome, he said, has led to the reconnection of the communities to the national grid and also engendered peaceful and harmonious relationship between them.
Other achievements, he said, include the conversion of generator powered streetlight to public power supply and provision of heavy-duty generators in government offices; the collaboration with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in the provision of sustainable electricity in Burutu axis of the state.
He talked of the construction of galvanised steel tower across the Bomadi River to extend 33KV Overhead Line to Bomadi, adding that the state had been involved in renewable energy development.
He said the administration had signed a number of memorandum of understanding (MoU) with foreign investors towards generating sustainable power supply.
He however highlighted some of the challenges facing the energy sector in the state to include absence of transmission infrastructures in parts of the state, vandalism of electricity and monopoly of distribution of power supply in the state by BEDC, which he said had compromised effective and satisfactory services delivery to the people.