The Nation Newspaper

Tag: BEDC Electricity Plc

  • Obaseki targets April to end BEDC monopoly

    Is the end of the BEDC Electricity Plc (BEDC) monopoly in the distribution of electricity in Edo State in sight? To Governor Godwin Obaseki, April 2019 would mark the beginning of the end of BEDC monopoly as the 55 Megawatts CCETC-Ossiomo Power plant at Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha local government would deliver its first 5mw.

    The 5mw would be used to light up government offices and street lights within the Sapele Road corridor of Benin City. The 5 megawatts was expected to be transmitted on a new 35-kilometre double circuit 33Kva line to deliver 24/7 uninterrupted power.

    It was Governor Obaseki’s plan for the CCETC-Ossiomo Power plant to begin operation in December 2017 but the project was slowed following the BEDC insistence that it has the sole licence to distribute electricity in the state. It was learnt that the BEDC told the Ossiomio power to put its power lines in place if it wants to distribute power to the Edo state government.

    To overcome the BEDC hurdles, Governor Obaseki entered a ‘Willing buyer-Willing seller agreement’ and also imported equipment for the construction of transmission lines to deliver the power from the site to Bénin city.

    Speaking during a visit to the project site, Governor Obaseki said Edo people would benefit from the power supply.

    According to him, “We believe that before the end of the first quarter of the year, the first 5MW would be delivered to light up government offices and streets within the Sapele Road corridor of Benin city.

    “To ease distribution of the power, a substation would be set up around Kings Square, which would power streets in the city.”

    “We are concluding transaction to light up 200 Kilometres of our streets across the city. When the plant is completed, it will free up some electricity for the state. We believe that if the megawatts produced increase, the distribution company will have more power to distribute to other cities in the state.

    “The ordinary Edo people will benefit from this power arrangement because there is an arrangement to drop power in certain processing centres where artisans can move into and do their businesses with the assurance of steady power supply.”

    Director, CCETC Clean Energy/Ossiomo Power Plant, Dr. Uwa Igiehon, said they using natural gas from a 50-metre gas pipeline close to the site.

    Residents of Benin city received the news with joy as the last yuletide celebration was not cosy for them following non-availability of power supply. It has been tagged a Christmas celebrated in darkness. There was no usual blaring of music from houses except from houses with power generators.

    Governor Obaseki, in a statement, berated BEDC for being inefficient by throwing the state into darkness during festivities.

    In the statement, Governor Obaseki renewed his for the withdrawal of BEDC’s license due to their ineffective service in the state saying Edo people deserve a better service provider than BEDC, especially as the state is home to 700mw-capacity Azura Power plant.

    “At a time families should be enjoying uninterrupted electricity supply as they celebrate Christmas and New Year in the state, BEDC is again unable to live up to the minimum expectation of providing electricity.

    “No excuse is good enough for the abysmal failure of BEDC and we appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to without delay, revoke the operational licence of BEDC and rescue Edo people and residents from the crappy service being delivered to our people who are harassed weekly by BEDC to pay for electricity that it did not supply,” Obaseki said.

    The non-availability of electricity to some of BEDC customers began in September last year following a cable explosion of the 150mva transformer at Ihovbor Power Plant/TCN substation belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria. A 60mva transformer that feeds three of BEDC major 33 KVA feeders was also lost during routine maintenance by BEDC crew.

    Chief State Head of BEDC, Mr. Fidelis Obishai, explained to newsmen that the firm resorted to tying the affected feeders to other feeders for consumers to have electricity. Power availability for residents in Benin city was reduced from 15 hours a day to nine hours; in some areas it was reduced to six hours.

    According to him, “The generation is not there but in as much we cannot give 24 hours electricity but we decided to allocate the available power that will make people happy until recently when we had a big blow. That blow is not from us but the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

    “On September 24, 2018, TCN lost a 60mva transformer. That transformer feeds our three major 33 KVA feeders. One is going to Ikpoba-Dam injection substation, Sapele road, Egor and Ebvuotubu. We thought it would be replaced within a day or two but the transformer is still out of repair.”

    It was learnt that the TCN has to resort to take the 60mva transformer at Irrua to replace the damaged one. Work was said to have almost be completed so that normal power supply to Benin city residents would resume.

  • BEDC dispels licence withdrawal rumour

    BEDC refutes fictitious information on license withdrawal message by EDOSCO

    Management of BEDC Electricity PLC (BEDC), has dispelled rumors by some Civil Societies Organization that its operating licence has been withdrawn.

    It urged its customers to disregard comments by the Civil Society groups asking them not to pay electricity bills based on the license withdrawal.

    A press statement issued to newsmen in Benin City and signed by its Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Adekunle Tayo, said the groups were peddling misinformation because the BEDC instituted court cases against some of it’s members for illegal tampering with power equipment.

    Read Also: BEDC, TCN settle rift for consumers’ satisfaction

    Tayo  noted that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) which handles all matters relating to licensing, duly recognized BEDC as the electricity service provider for Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states.

    According to him, “After the licence renewal misinformation turned out to be a hoax, the groups have hbbeen looking for another avenue of smearing the corporate image of BEDC through deliberate falsehood and misinformation of the public especially customers.

    “BEDC therefore advises esteemed customers and good people of Edo state to disregard the false information being peddled by EDOSCO while advising customers to continue to pay their electricity bill in line with what is consumed”.

  • Power outage in Edo will soon be over, BEDC

    Management of the BEDC Electricity Plc in charge of Edo, Delta, Ekiti and Ondo states has said that the power outage currently being experienced in parts of Benin City and environs would soon be a thing of the past.
    It said that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has made commitment to procure two 60mva transformers to replace the faulty  ones that plunged the state into darkness.
    Spokesman for the BEDC, Adekunle Tayo, told newsmen on Wednesday that the firm has put measures in place to ensure power is restored to affected areas before the two procured 60mva transformers are installed.
    Tayo said the new lines being installed at Okada in Ovia North East would soon be completed.

    Read Also: Edo budgets N7b for investment drive

    He debunked reports that Edo gets more power since the Azura Power Plant generates 600 megawatts of electricity.
    Tayo explained that whatever Azura generates is taken to the national grid before it is transmitted to the Discos across the country.
    According to him, “What happened at the transformer that caused all these was purely an accident and we have taken steps to connecting affected customers to other areas.
    “As a stop gap on the recent reduction in power supplied to Edo State on some feeders in Central Benin, arrangement was made to connect customers on the affected feeders to existing functional ones in a manner that would not overload the system and to provide supply albeit on limited basis, pending when normal supply”.

  • TCN cable explosion causes blackouts in Edo

    The BEDC Electricity Plc, has attributed the non-availability of electricity to some of its customers in Edo State to a cable explosion of the 150mva transformer at Ihovbor Power Plant/TCN substation belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

    It said the TCN also lost a 60mva transformer that feeds three of its major 33 kVA feeders.

    Chief State Head of BEDC, Mr. Fidelis Obishai, who spoke in a chat with newsmen said the people ought to understand that the firm only distributes what is generated.

    Obishai said the BEDC resorted to tying the affected feeders to other feeders for consumers to have electricity.

    Read Also: Edo ex-Speaker emerges Deputy Speaker

    He stated that the firm had to reschedule power loading to 12 hours a day instead of  the affected  customers to be out of power for 24 hours.

    According to him, “The generation is not there but in as much we cannot give 24 hours electricity but we decided to allocate the available power that will make people happy until recently when we had a big blow. That blow is not from us but the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)

    “On the 24th of September, 2018, TCN lost a 60mva transformer. That transformer feeds our three major 33 kVA feeders. One is going to Ikpoba-Dam injection substation, Sapele road, Egor and Ebvuotubu. We thought it would be replaced within a day or two but the transformer is still out of repair.

    “What then will happen to customers tied to these feeders? We cannot tell when the 60mva transformer will return to service.”