Irked by the inability of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria to distribute power from its Omoku gas turbine to all parts of Rivers State, the state government is seeking the Federal Government�s approval to generate and distribute power in Nigeria.
Although President Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurated the state�s 150-megawatt power plant at Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area on December 5, 2006, residents of Port Harcourt are yet to enjoy uninterrupted power supply.
The state governor, Dr. Peter Odili, blamed the short supply on obsolete facilities being used by the PHCN, which he said, could only take out 45 mw of the 150 mw being generated b y the turbine.
The governor�s explanation was contained in a statement released in Port Harcourt by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Emma Okah.
He said the remaining 105 mw was being fed into the national grid and distributed to other parts of the country by the PHCN.
To reverse the situation, Odili said that the administration had approached the relevant Federal Government agencies to obtain approval to generate and distribute power in the state.
Although the governor was silent on the agencies the government had approached, he said that his administration was making a concrete effort to realise its ambition so that electricity consumers in the state could get value from the multi-million Naira gas turbine.
The explanation came amidst complaints by consumers that there had not been any significant improvement in power supply since the plant was inaugurated a month ago.
The state Information Commissioner, Mr. Magnus Abe, last Thursday, alleged the vandalisation of the transmission line that fed the state capital from Omoku by unknown persons.
Abe pointed out that the destruction of the line was responsible for the poor supply to the state capital and blamed the vandals for trying to disrupt the effort of the state in meeting the electricity needs of the residents.
The Independent Power Project is believed to be under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission based on a series of petitions by indigenes who alleged that the project had been overpriced.
But Odili on Monday challenged the petitioners to come up with evidence to prove their allegations.
He stated that the state�s IPP was completed at a cost lower than those being undertaken by the Federal Government in parts of the Niger Delta and that the state should be applauded rather than being vilified by enemies of progress.