The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has summoned the Chief Executives of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC over the worsening power supply in their regions.
The Minister in a statement by his media aide, Bolaji Tunji, also summoned the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Ahmed Abdulazeez, over the deteriorating power situation.
In a letter signed by the Director of Distribution Services at the Federal Ministry of Power, B.U Mustapha, the CEOs of the organisations were asked to attend a meeting called by the Minister in the coming week to discuss issues bothering worsening electricity supply in their regions to proffer lasting solutions.
The Minister also stated that the management of other non-performing DisCos would be queried as reports continue to filter in on situations in their regions.
“These two DisCos have been summoned due to the worsening power supply situation in their regions despite improved supply from TCN,” he said.
According to the statement, the Ministry had been putting pressure on the Generating Companies to improve performance and generation has been ramped up to over 4000 megawatts in recent days.
“So, we expect the power supply to have improved across the country, unlike what we are experiencing in some regions, presently. Findings revealed that some distribution companies were deliberately not taking up power supply from TCN while some power lines were also damaged by vandals in Abuja, Benin, Port Harcourt and Ibadan regions.
“Going forward, the Minister said the focus would be on all the DisCos to compel them to expect performance while willful, non-performance by any DisCo could suffice as a reason for severe punishment or outright license revocation,” the statement said.
The Minister has also directed TCN to immediately commence repair works on the damaged transmission towers and power lines to improve supply in the affected regions.
The Minister had embarked on supervisory visits to some of the power-generating plants in the last few months.
He was in the Kainji hydropower plant which will soon embark on an expansion plan to boost the existing 560mw operational capacity.
He also visited Benue and Taraba States to assess the infrastructure being constructed to evacuate an additional 30 megawatts from the Kashimbilla hydropower station to the National Grid. Presently, only 10mw is being evacuated from the hydropower plant.
The Minister was also in Olorunsogo and Omotosho thermal plants in Ogun and Ondo states, and Ihvobor and Azura power plants in Edo State respectively.
During the visits, he assured these power plants that plans were underway by the Federal Government to defray part of the outstanding debts being owed to the power generation companies and the gas supply companies.
