The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) last Saturday commissioned new power transformers at Okpella substation to boost electricity supply to Edo North, especially in major towns of Auchi, Okpella and Igarra.
The 1x60MVA ,132,33kv power transformer would also service some major towns in Estako, and Akoko Edo Local Government Areas.
TCN had also successfully installed 40MVA at Auchi 132, 33kv substation.
The new installation at Okpella was to improve on the old 1x15MVA,132/33Kv substation which had limited capacity to adequately supply electricity to Okpella, BUA cement company, Aghenebode town and environs.
Because of the limitation, TCN awarded the contract for the reinforcement of the substation in 2012 to Messers Power Control and Appliances (PCA) to add 1×60 MVA,13/33kv transformer to increase the quality of supply in the area.
The Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, (NERC), Prof. James Momoh, commissioned the transformer in company of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo.
He said communities in Edo north had been experiencing poor electricity supply over the years.
He said that this had impacted negatively on the industrial development of the zone and the state in general.
“The villages around here witness low voltage, meaning there is no impact in development, it cannot touch industrialisation that we want because the quality of supply is very low.
“Because we are unable to harness power, industries cannot spring up in Edo, where we have all the vegetation, we have all the minerals.
“The lop-sidedness in supply made it very impossible for distribution to get to our villages.”
He explained that the provision of the new additional power transformer in the substation was for the interest of the Edo people, adding that the Okpella community must maintain and protect the facility.
“It will serve Okpella cement factory, it will serve other people, but we want to make sure we create jobs, we create industries. It will bring relief to our people; it will transform the economy of the state,” he said.