Edo seeks $ 10b investment to boost electricity supply

THE Edo State government has projected to attract an additional $ 10 billion in domestic and foreign investment for improved power supply in the state.

The state has already attracted $ 2 billion in investment, mostly in the agricultural sector, expected to create many multiplier effects, including enhancing food production, supplying raw materials to industries, and creating additional employment opportunities.

But reacting to the latest nomination of the State as the

Best State Government at the Nigeria Power Sector Awards, the Senior Special Assistant, SSA, to the Governor on Electricity, Mr. Osasumwen Arigbe- Osula, said the Mr. Godwin Obaseki- led administration has taken bold steps to boost electricity in the state.

He said: “On April 4, 2017, Edo State Government ( EDSG) executed a Power Purchase Agreement ( PPA) with the Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure Company for at least 5MW of power. On March 9, 2018, EDSG applied to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ( NERC) for an Eligible Customer License.

“On November 4, 2018, NER C approved the EDSG application and declared seven EDSG locations as Eligible Customers. The Ministry of Energ y and Electricity was created in 2019 to execute the “Electrify Edo” project.

“Testing and certification of the Injection Substation at the Secretariat Complex, Sapele Road, and the 11KV network connecting EDSG offices by the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency ( NEMSA) were completed in July 2020.

“The first power to the Injection Substation at the Secretariat Complex, Sapele Road was achieved on October 8, 2020. Twenty- four hours of uninterrupted power supply is being provided to crucial EDSG facilities and utilities i. e., Government Administrative Buildings, Health Care Facilities, Water Works, Schools, Courthouses, etc as well as Ologbo, the host community of the Ossiomo power plant.