THE Abia State government, in partnership with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), has begun the construction of a 7.5 Mega Volt-Amperes (MVA), 33/11 kilovolts (kV) Injection Substation in Umuahia, the capital
A statement by the NDPHC on Monday, December 8, said the move was aimed at boosting electricity supply in the state.
It said the Abia State Governor Alex Otti, who performed the groundbreaking ceremony, described the project as a transformative initiative that would significantly boost power supply in the state.
Otti said that the new infrastructure marked the beginning of a broader effort to modernise Abia’s power network.
The project is being executed by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) under the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP). Its scope includes the construction of a 1-kilometre (km) 33 kilovolts (kV) line, 1.2km of 11kV line, installation of two 300kVA distribution substations, and the provision of 2km of low-tension line.
Otti commended the Federal Government and NDPHC for prioritising Abia in this strategic intervention.
He also applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms in the power sector through the Electricity Act 2023, which he said had expanded the national electricity framework to encourage stronger state participation, private sector investment, and global partnerships.
The governor further revealed that the state government had budgeted for an additional 7.5MVA Injection Substation in the 2026 fiscal year, which he said would raise the combined capacity in the Ogurube Layout area of Umuahia to 15MVA when completed.
The NDPHC Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Adighije, represented at the event by Executive Director, Networks, Bello Babayo Bello reaffirmed the company’s commitment to expanding access to reliable and sustainable electricity nationwide.
She said the Umuahia project reflected NDPHC’s mandate to empower communities and drive economic development.
The collaboration between the Federal Government, NDPHC, and the Abia State Government, stakeholders said, highlighted the power of strategic partnerships in delivering critical infrastructure.
When completed, the substation is expected to strengthen the electricity supply, support small businesses, promote industrial development, and ultimately improve the quality of life for residents of Umuahia and surrounding communities.
The ICIR reports that Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, is currently experiencing improved electricity supply, thanks to the Geometric Power Plant, a 188-megawatt thermal power plant commissioned in February 2024. This plant is expected to provide 24/7 electricity to nine local government areas in the state, covering approximately 270,000 households.
The investment in the electricity infrastructure network expansion was largely informed by the unbundling of the electricity sector through the Electricity Act 2023, which has given states power and access to attract investors into the various power distribution value-chain.
In a related development, the NDPHC has successfully recovered six previously dormant gas turbines across its fleet of turbines in the last year, adding cumulatively 875 megawatts to the national grid.
The company has also announced the restoration of an additional 450 megawatts of generation capacity to the national grid following the completion of scheduled maintenance on the Geregu National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) plant.
The Managing Director of NDPHC, Jennifer Adighije, confirmed that the four-wheel extended minor inspection, undertaken by Siemens Energy, was executed to enhance the facility’s operational reliability, performance, and efficiency, thereby extending the plant’s Equivalent Operating Hours(EOH) and operational life span.
According to her, the turbines so far recovered “include GT4 at the Calabar NIPP, GT1 at Omotosho II, GT1 and GT2 at Benin NIPP, GT4 at Sapele NIPP, and currently GT3 and GT4 at Alaoji NIPP on standby for pre-commissioning after gas supply remedial works.
“These restored units collectively would have a cumulative 875MW additional capacity to NDPHC’s mechanical available generation, adding a significant boost to national power generation capacity.”
Adighije, in a similar statement on Monday by the Head, Corporate Communications and External Relations, NDPHC, Emmanuel Ojor, also announced the commencement of restoration works on the 225MW Gbarain NIPP plant, which has been out of service since 2020, describing it as a major step toward recovering dormant national power in a bid to commercialise the output of the plant to serve critical commercial and industrial clusters within the Niger Delta region.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.