Egbin Power Improves National Grid with 220MW – The nation’s Power generation has got a significant increase after the rehabilitation programme of Egbin Power Plc on ST-06, a 220 megawatt (mw) steam turbine generator following 8 years where the turbine was inoperable. This provides the plant returned to its installed capacity of 1,320MW.
Disclosing the development in Lagos, the management of the company said the rehabilitated and restored Unit ST-06 has brought an additional 220MW to the national electricity grid and would also bolster power supply to the Lagos metropolis thereby improving socio-economic activities in the region.
ST-06 was first commissioned in November 1987, but suffered a boiler explosion during operation in 2006 due to some water tube phenomenon.
With the unit now generating at full stream, Egbin is currently in the final stages of a bilateral agreement to supply the 220MW to Ikeja Electricity Distribution Plc (Ikeja Electric) and Eko Distribution Company (Eko Disco), a development that is set to yield about 16 per cent additional power supply to Lagos, the nation’s commercial nerve centre.
The KEPCO/NEDC consortium, in which Sahara Energy Group through its subsidiary, Sahara Power, holds controlling interest, acquired Egbin power plant and Ikeja Disco under the privatisation programme of the federal government over a year ago. The group also owns and operates a power plant in Rivers State.
The transformation at the nation’s largest generation plant commenced following its acquisition by Sahara Power working through a number of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) in collaboration with its technical partners, Korea Electric Corporation (KEPCO).
The Sahara Power/KEPCO partnership has birthed in Egbin an unprecedented level of innovativeness, professionalism, human capital development and continuing investment in new technology.
Chief Executive Officer, Egbin Power Plc, Mr. Mike Uzoigwe, said the company considers the rehabilitation of ST Unit 6 to be a major breakthrough, noting that huge resources were deployed in achieving a complete tear-down overhaul of the unit.
Uzoigwe said that in spite of the fact that the electricity market in Nigeria is not yet bankable, Egbin has in collaboration with KEPCO continued to achieve laudable feats for the benefit of this country.
He added that KEPCO had begun the overhaul of unit ST-04 as the company continues in its quest to ensure Egbin operates in compliance with globally acclaimed standards.
“When we took over Egbin power plant in November 2013 there was a sworn declaration to deploy all of our available resources required to transform the plant into a centre of excellence.
“We are happy that this is being achieved through the expertise of our staff and KEPCO and we are delighted to say we are on course towards achieving our objective of being a foremost power generation plant in Africa,” he said.
According to KEPCO’s Mr. Gyoo Yeom, the unfolding plan for Egbin is aimed at replicating the success KEPCO is renowned for in the global power sector in Nigeria.
Yeom said Egbin has in its sights “further expansion of the plant as the new management continues to embark on achieving its vision of attaining 2,670 MW by 2017 and total capacity of over 10,000MW in the next decade, if the demand permits”.
Appealing for support as the reforms in the sector unfold, he added: “We are here to work with our partners in Egbin to ensure we build a future where uninterrupted and sustainable power supply is obtainable in Nigeria.”
Ongoing exchange programmes with Korea aimed at growing local capacity for Egbin staff have since commenced, as the company seeks to enhance its human capital capacity for enhanced performance.
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