Press Releases

Power: Lagos Gets Lion Share of PHCN Distribution Projects

Mar 7, 2008 - Lagos state is to get the highest number of the 33/11 KV Injection Substations to be built in different parts of the country in the next one year for the distribution of power.

The Substations, to be built by the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), is to distribute the envisaged 6000 Megawatts of electricity planned for the country by the Federal Government in the next one year.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the PHCN, Ikeja Distribution Zone, Engineer O.A. Adeola, who disclosed this on Thursday while on a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), at the Lagos House, Marina, said Ikeja, which is one of the two zones for Lagos, would habour 34 of the substations, the highest in the country.

Adeola also announced some in-house conceived projects planned by the zone for the state to ensure the effective distribution of the expected power but regretted that the company was currently faced with the challenge of acquiring land for the projects to be located within the Ikeja Distribution Zone.

The locations, according to the CEO, include Agidingbi, Omole Estate, Mafoluku, Isolo-Aswani Area, Aiyetoro, Isefun, Jonathan Coker (Fagba Area), Warewa (Isheri), Oki Village, Ijagemo and Idimu-Ejigbo Road.

Noting that the State’s Export Free Trade zone is located along the planned distribution line, Adeola said his zone has identified Epe with its topography and proximity to the Free Trade zone and the high brow Lekki Penninsular as a potential commercial and tourist hub of the state and, therefore, plans to build a 132 KV line and Transmission Station there, saying this would ease the power supply situation in Epe, Ikorodu satellite towns and the Export Trade Free Zone.He commended the Lagos State Government for its support and interest towards the improvement of electricity in the state, mentioning particularly the numerous distribution transformers which the Governor has donated to many communities in the state.

Responding, Fashola again called on the Federal Government to stop the deduction from the State’s monthly allocation from the Federation Account as a result of its Independent Power Project (IPP) saying that the state was contributing 270 megawatts of electricity through the project into the National Grid. “The Federal Government should appropriate this in the National Budget and relieve Lagos State of this burden”, he said.

The Governor, however, commended the Federal Government for providing the Substations for the distribution of electricity in the state, noting that generation alone would amount to nothing without effective distribution of the power.

He promised to give land to the Zone to carry out its planned project but regretted that when such lands were given, some recipients soon begin to develop other infrastructures without any notice to the government.

Fashola said Lagos was suffering today because of the impact of such uncoordinated developmental activities by recipients of land from the State Government.

According to the Governor, “when you build your housing estates on the land without informing the government, the same government is left to bear the resultant huge refuse disposal, clearing of drainage channels and other fallouts from human habitation.

“We are not averse to development, but if you give us your development plans say six months in advance, we will be able to factor it into our budget so that there will be proper development. It does not make sense when we construct a road and in the next six months we excavate it in order to lay pipes. It does not show a government that plans”, he said.

Appealing for cooperation from all and sundry to liaise with the State Government in their development plans, the Governor promised to constitute a committee to work with the PHCN for the building of the planned substations.