The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) has flagged off the rehabilitation of the 225-megawatt Gbarain Power Plant in Bayelsa State, after five years a fire outbreak destroyed a critical component of the facility and stalled its commissioning.
Following the management’s commitment to optimizing the operations of its power plants nationwide through renewed investments, the company has handed over the rehabilitation of the moribund plant to a joint venture between TILT Energy Limited and Schneider Electric for the replacement of its burnt Power Control Module (PCM), a key component required for the operations of the gas-fired power station.
A statement issued on Friday by the company’s Head of Corporate Communication and External Relations, Mrs. Nazo Agim, quoted the General Manager, Generation Projects, Ginsau Idris, as saying during the power station’s handover event that the replacement of the Power Control Module has become imperative in view of the company’s sustained drive to add to the nation’s power generation capacity.
The industry expert expressed optimism that TILT Energy Limited and Schneider Electric, given their professional antecedents in the power sector, would rehabilitate the power plant timely to boost the nation’s power generation output.
- Advertisement -
Idris said: “The Power Control Module was extensively damaged by fire, making its replacement imperative, but we are confident in the contractors. All parties clearly understand their responsibilities and are committed to delivering the project successfully and within schedule.”
In his remarks at the event, the NDPHC’s Executive Director, Generation, Abdullahi Kassim, described the November 2020 fire incident at the facilitty as one of the biggest setbacks suffered by the project, occurring just only a few months before the scheduled time for the plant’s commissioning.
Kassim assured that the company remained committed to reviving the project in view of its value-addition potential to the nation’s power generation and supply nationwide.
The ED recalled: “The PCM was destroyed by fire in November 2020, just months before the plant was due for commissioning. Also, complementary infrastructure, including access roads and support buildings, is under construction to ensure that it becomes operational as scheduled.”
He commended the company’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Jennifer Adighije, for relentlessly championing the revitalization of the power plant.
