Electricity From Bayelsa IPP Not Free — Governor Diri

Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, has stated that the power generated and distributed from the state’s independent power plant will not be free and that the people of the State will pay for the service.

Governor Diri made the clarification on Wednesday when he visited the project site to inspect six out of the eight new 60MW gas turbines procured by the state government at Elebele in Ogbia local government area of the state.

The power equipment and its accessories arrived in the state about a week ago.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, Governor Diri stated that people of the state were upbeat about the prospect of 24-hour power supply by the end of this year.

Diri explained that power consumption would be metered and paid for as the government had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jampur Group for establishing a customised metering production plant in the state.

“I had given the end of this year as a deadline for this project and we are sticking to that. Hopefully before Christmas, we will have these turbines fired up and by God’s grace, Bayelsa will begin to have 24 hours uninterrupted power supply.

“We are actually expecting eight gas turbines but six have arrived and I have been assured that the remaining two with some accessories will be here next week. These are the most modern gas turbines.

“Initially, we planned to have two very large plants but later, the experts advised that there could be blackout if one of them breaks down. So I had to approve the eight.

“As you know, to maintain these equipment and the gas to fire them, even though it is on our soil, we will spend money to procure it from the company. So it is not free. For there to be constant electricity everybody must pay for it. It is pay as you consume,” the governor explained.

The Commissioner for Power, Mr. Kharin Komuko, described the project as a dream come true.

He said when the governor first spoke about the power project, there was open cynicism by critics of the government.

Komuko thanked Governor Diri for making good his promise.

Also, the Managing Director of the Bayelsa State Electricity Company, Engr. Olice Kemenanabo, who explained the role of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) in the state’s IPP project, said the Electricity Act had grey areas that were interwoven to ensure that all legacy distribution companies were carried along.

Kemenanabo said the state and PHEDC were working together to avoid any legal tussle between the franchise owners and the distribution network.

He further stated that the PHEDC’s existing network, which has over four hundred transformers in the state, would be utilised for power distribution.

Speaking on behalf of the Jampur Group, technical partners to the state electricity company, the Project Manager, Mr. Sharif Abu, described the gas turbine project as very crucial and sensitive, noting that the precise time schedule for completion would be met.