The Enugu state government has begun the construction of three new 33KV electricity feeders designed to end prolonged power outages and provide improved, stable and reliable electricity supply to communities in four Local Government Areas of the state. The project developed from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) Station, Ugwuaji, is aimed at improving electricity supply to Nkanu East, Nkanu West, Awgu, and Aninri Local Government Areas. The flag-off of the project was preceded by a stakeholders’ meeting on electricity held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, during the weekend. The intervention is targeted at addressing the longstanding challenges associated with the Amechi 33KV feeder, which currently serves as the major source of electricity supply to Nkanu East and Nkanu West, as well as Enugu South, Awgu and Aninri Local Government Areas in Enugu State. The feeder, which stretches for more than 600 kilometres into three Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State, is reportedly the longest 33KV feeder in the South-East, making it difficult to detect and rectify faults and resulting in prolonged electricity outages across the communities it serves. Speaking at the event, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Enugu State Electrification Agency (ESEA), Engr. Christopher Ezeoha, said the state government had decided to fundamentally restructure the network rather than simply restore the existing feeder. He said that the government was constructing two new 33KV feeders from the TCN Station at Ugwuaji and extending an existing short 33KV feeder from the same station, bringing the number of new and extended feeders to three. He added the new feeders would be dedicated to improving electricity supply to Nkanu East and Nkanu West, while the existing Amechi feeder would be reconfigured to serve Awgu and Aninri. Ezeoha said the government would further construct four new injection substations in Nkanu East and Nkanu West to transform electricity from 33KV to 11KV, thereby strengthening the distribution network and improving the reliability of power supply in the areas. “Some communities, including Nkerifi, Nara and Mburubu, have not had electricity for more than 20 years,” he said. He, however, said restoring the existing feeder alone would not provide a lasting solution because of its excessive length and the number of communities and Local Government Areas dependent on it. Ezeoha said the new arrangement would substantially reduce the length of individual feeders, making fault detection and repairs faster and improving the quality and duration of electricity supplied to the affected communities. “By the time we finish doing this work, we hope to give them more than 20 hours of average daily power supply. That is what the government says we should do,” he said. He said the electricity intervention was part of a larger plan by the administration of Governor Peter Mbah to establish a modern and commercially viable electricity market in the state. Ezeoha said that the power improvement investments would initially be managed by a special-purpose vehicle, Enugu Electrification Agency Ltd., which would distribute and market electricity in Nkanu East and Nkanu West, with the long-term objective of taking over electricity distribution services across Enugu State.
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
