Reps summon NDPHC MD over abandoned 252MW power plant

The House of Representatives has summoned the Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHD) over the abandoned 252MW Power Plant at Gbarain, Bayelsa.

The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance by Rep. Oboku Aforji (PDP-Bayelsa) during plenary in Abuja on Thursday.

Presenting the motion, the lawmaker stated that Gbarain is one of the 23 National Integrated power projects which had been deemed critical infrastructure.

This, he said, is in the area of generation, transmission, distribution and natural gas supply in sub-sectors of the electric power value chain by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

He said on Nov. 30, 2020, the NDPHC lost the Power Control Module (PCM) of the Gbarain power plant to an inferno.

He said the Bayelsa government offered to take some responsibilities of the NDPHC, since the state happened to be the most affected.

He added that, particularly as the state owned Niger Delta University derived its electricity supply from the station.

“Accordingly, the state government undertook rehabilitation and restoration of the power supply through the 60MVA,132/33KV power transformer.”

This, he added, is currently supplying the Gbarain power station auxiliaries and host communities.

He said three years down the line, the NDPHC had not been able to live up to their responsibility by replacing the Power Control Module.

Adopting the motion, the house urged Vice President Kashim Shetima, Chairman of the NDPHC Board to summon an emergency meeting of the board.

The house called for urgent resuscitation of the Gbarain 252 megawatt power station in Koroama, Bayelsa, to rejig the Niger Delta Power Holding Company(NDPHC).

The house also referred the motion to the committee on power for further legislative action.