Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr. Usman Guru Muhammad, has disclosed that Bayelsa State is on the verge of achieving stable power supply.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the Bayelsa State Governor on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, stated that Muhammad made the comment during a condolence visit to Governor Seriake Dickson over the death of his mother at his home town, Toru-Orua, on Sunday.
Muhammed was quoted to have noted that Bayelsa State has been connected to the national grid because of the sustained efforts of Governor Dickson.
The TCN boss hinted on the high possibility of effective collaboration between the state and the company for improved power supply in the state.
He said the TCN was carrying out a transmission rehabilitation expansion programme which had yielded 1.57 billion US Dollars meant to pursue enhanced capacity all over the country.
The chairman also stated that the company had recorded a 300 percent increase in the power generation capacity and was awaiting the cooperation of the state to install another 40 MVA to the existing one.
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“Remember, Bayelsa was not on the National Grid some years ago, but through the work that His Excellency has done, Bayelsa is now connected to National Grid. We just concluded 90 MVA; the former capacity was 30 MVA which means we have increased the capacity by 300 percent of what it used to be.
“Again we have another 40 MVA and we are looking at how to collaborate with the state government to install that 40 MVA.
“And as I said earlier, the transmission rehabilitation expansion Programme which we are pursuing has raised 1.57billion dollars. The investment has put lots of capacity all over the country.”
Responding, Governor Dickson appreciated Muhammed and his team for their dedication to the provision of power.
The governor, while stressing that the state was in dire need of adequate power supply, noted that the state has made enormous investment in the power sector with ongoing efforts to connect all local governments to the National grid.
He called for a non-political National consensus in the power sector, which he said was critical to the building of a strong economy.