The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Jennifer Adighije, has said the company is ready to support the Lagos electricity market with an additional 1,500 megawatts of power supply.
Adighije disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Temitope George, on Friday.
According to a statement made available to The PUNCH on Sunday, she said the company currently has about 2,000MW of stranded generation capacity, which could significantly improve the electricity supply in Lagos.
She noted that Lagos currently receives about 1,000MW from the national grid despite an estimated electricity demand of nearly 12,000MW, creating a major supply gap.
Adighije said the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) was prepared to help bridge part of the deficit through increased generation and investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure.
“Our mandate is fundamentally to scale up power generation alongside the associated transmission and distribution networks. We are uniquely positioned in the power sector because our operations cut across the entire electricity value chain, from gas to generation, transmission, and distribution,” she said.
She added that NDPHC had played a major role in power sector reforms and infrastructure development over the years and was well-positioned to partner with LASERC to expand electricity access across Lagos State.
“It is widely known that NDPHC owns the largest power generation assets in sub-Saharan Africa. We have an installed generation capacity of about 4,000MW, but regrettably, we are only able to dispatch between 400MW and 500MW daily. This clearly shows that we have significant stranded capacity,” she stated.
Adighije said findings from the recently published Lagos Electricity Market Report highlighted a wide energy demand gap in the state, which the company was eager to help address.
“This is the role we want to play. That is why we are engaging with LASERC to support the scaling and acceleration of distributed access to electricity in Lagos State,” she said.
Describing Lagos as a commercially viable electricity market, the NDPHC boss said the company was willing to commit substantial investments to power infrastructure in the state.
“The Lagos electricity market is very lucrative and dynamic. This is a market where we are willing to make huge investments. In the past, our investments were largely intervention-based, but now we are looking at a market where there is a clear path to investment recovery.
“We are keen to invest in transmission and distribution assets to ensure the delivery of reliable, affordable, and quality electricity to consumers,” she added.
Responding, Temitope George reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s commitment to improving electricity supply across the state. She commended NDPHC for its investments in Nigeria’s power sector and expressed the commission’s readiness to collaborate with the company.
“We are excited to receive NDPHC, one of the largest power generation companies in Nigeria. The company has already made significant investments in Lagos, and we recognise that there are still infrastructure gaps that must be addressed,” George said.
She recalled that during LASERC’s maiden stakeholders’ engagement, the commission unveiled plans to ensure that some franchise areas in Lagos enjoy 24-hour electricity supply.
“With the NDPHC Managing Director’s visit and the company’s willingness to partner with Lagos to provide power and invest in infrastructure, we are optimistic that residents will begin to experience improved and more reliable electricity supply in the future,” she added.
