The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved that Aso Rock Villa becomes an eligible customer so that it can get direct electricity supply from the Shiroro Hydropower Generation Company (GenCo) within six months.
In a statement by Hakeem Bello, spokesman to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, he said the approvals were gotten after Fashola presented memos at the meetings. The Eligible Customer Regulation issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in 2017 permits electricity consumers to buy power directly from Generation Companies (GenCos).
Aso Rock Villa, the official residence of the president, will benefit from this as the FEC, last Wednesday, approved the inclusion of the Villa in the Distribution Expansion Programme (DEP) meant to off-take part of stranded 2,000 megawatts (MW) to provide a dedicated power.
The ministry obtained approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) for the DEP to commence civil works at the Villa for power installations that will guarantee uninterrupted power supply to the Villa.
He said within the next six months, the contractor, Dextron Engineering Limited, under the DEP, will complete the project.
Government has arranged with North-South Power Company, operator of Shiroro Hydropower GenCo to supply dedicated power to the Villa while the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), a sister company, will ensure the project’s success.
The ministry’s headquarters at Mabushi will have solar micro grid system to power the four blocks with each, comprising four floors with a total of 894 offices and will be executed by EM-ONE Energy Solution.
Also approved is the final payment for completion of Afam 240MW Power Plant in Rivers State. Power System and Automation Solutions Ltd has been contracted to handle additional works at the 132KV switchyard for the power evacuation.
More so, five hydropower dams have been approved for concessioning to private investors to raise grid electricity by 16.5MW. Power Control got 6MW Ikere Gorge Dam in Ekiti; Quaint Power & Infrastructure Ltd won 2MW Omi-Kampe Dam in Kogi; Pan-African Global Infrastructure won three others – 300KW Zobe Dam and 4MW Jibiya Dam in Katsina, and 3MW Bakolori Dam in Zamfara State.
Daily Trust