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By Samaila Emmanuel Bzugu
The people of Adamawa State are facing severe hardship due to the lack of reliable electricity supply, exacerbating issues with portable water supply and damaging healthcare facilities. This crisis could have been mitigated if the government had built upon the laudable energy programs initiated by the previous administration.
In 2009, the Adamawa State Government established the Gongola Basin Energy Development Company (GOBEDEC) to drive energy development. Notable projects included a feasibility study conducted with the US Trade and Development Agency’s support, envisioning 35MW of power, and a 20MW feasibility study undertaken in partnership with EnBW of Germany. Collaborations with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) led to the establishment of substations and transmission lines, including the Yola-Song-Gombi-Mubi-Gulak 132Kv Transmission Line.
To begin with, the State Government established a State Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) as a machine to derive the State power efforts in line with the EPSR Act 2005. Under it, therefore, the following programmes were initiated and pursued passionately to achieve the aim.
(a) Conversion of Kiri Irrigation Dam to a Hydroelectricity Generating Dam. Adamawa State Government entered into a Grant Agreement with the Government of United States of America and conducted a Feasibility Study for the Project.
the current vandalism of power lines and infrastructure threatens sustainable electricity supply in Nigeria, particularly in the North
It was done through the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) which provided the Sum of Four Hundred and Sixty-Seven Thousand Dollars (UD$ 467,000). USTDA awarded an American Firm Princeton Energy Resources International LLC the Consultancy Contract that carried out the Feasibility Study. The Report of the Study was Submitted to the State Government in January 2011, in which it was envisaged that Kiri Dam Hydroelectricity Project would deliver up to 35MW.
(b) In 2011 under the auspices of the Nigerian-German Energy Partnership, Adamawa State Government provided a 20MW Feasibility Study Report on a Solar Power Plant.
The study was carried out by Adamawa State Government and EnBW of Germany at a cost of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Euro (€150,000). The Report was handed over to the State for the development of the Plant.
(c) As the State Government then was working towards Electricity Generation, it also decided to look inward towards developing and upgrading facilities by improving distribution network in collaboration with Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). It requested from and approval was granted by the Federal Ministry of Power and the following were carried out.
(i) A 28 X 40 MVA Transformer Sub-station was established in Mayo-Belwa and fully taken over by TCN, completed and commissioned. The sub-station relieved load on Yola station by serving Numan, Borrong, Demsa, Ngurore, Mayo-Belwa, Ganye, Jada and Toungo.
(ii) Through same efforts of the State Government, approval was granted for the following sub-stations. Work started in ernest and later going at a snail speed despite efforts in pursuing the project through visits to TCN headquarters. They are:
(a) Yola- Song – Gombi 132Kv Double Circuit Transmission Line (125Km) 2 X132Kv Line Bay Extension at Yola Sub-station.
(b) 2X60 MVA132/33Kv Sub-station at Song. 2X132 Line Bay Extension at Song Sub-station
(c) 2X60MVA, 132/33Kv Sub-station at Gombi
2X132Kv Line Bay Extension at Gombi Sub-station
(d) Gombi – Mubi – Gulak 132Kv Double Circuit Transmission Line (225Km)
2X60MVA, 132/33 Sub-station at Mubi
2X132Kv Line Bay Extension at Mubi Sub-station.
(e) 2X60MVA, 132/33Kv Sub-station at Gulak.
The Shiroro-Kaduna double circuit 330kV transmission lines have been vandalized, leaving the North-West reliant on the Jos-Kaduna single circuit 330kV line
However, the current vandalism of power lines and infrastructure threatens sustainable electricity supply in Nigeria, particularly in the North. The Shiroro-Kaduna double circuit 330kV transmission lines have been vandalized, leaving the North-West reliant on the Jos-Kaduna single circuit 330kV line.
To prevent prolonged darkness, the Adamawa State Government must create a backup plan, leveraging the feasibility studies for the Kiri Dam conversion and Solar Power Projects. The Electricity Act 2023 empowers states to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity. It’s time for Adamawa State to seize this opportunity and build an autonomous electricity sector, as Enugu State has successfully done.
– _Leverage Feasibility Studies_: Utilize existing feasibility studies for the Kiri Dam conversion and Solar Power Projects to develop alternative energy sources.
– _Develop Autonomous Electricity Sector_: Establish an independent electricity sector, as enabled by the Electricity Act 2023.
– _Address Infrastructure Vandalism_: Implement measures to prevent vandalism of power lines and infrastructure.
The people of Adamawa State cannot afford to wait any longer. The government must act swiftly to address the electricity crisis and ensure the socio-economic emancipation of its citizens.
This article was written by:
Chief. Peter Hadley Dilli
Former General Manager, GOBEDEC Adamawa State, Former Permanent Secretary Energy Department, Former Special Adviser to the Governor On Works and Energy Development, Adamawa State.
