Anambra Power and Water Commissioner Presents Scorecard – The Journey So Far
The Anambra State Commissioner for Power and Water Resources, Engr. Julius Chukwuemeka says the Ministry in on a transformative journey towards vision that will propel the state into a more environmentally conscious and technologically advanced era.
According to the Commissioner, this is aimed at fostering economic growth and enhancing the overall quality of life for the citizenry.
The Commissioner who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen in Awka, said part of the vision would help ensure the use of renewable energy, revolutionize the state’s energy landscape, promote sustainability as well as ensure constant and reliable power supply for residents and businesses alike.
He asserted that the Ministry, under his watch, has a focus, enshrined in the acronym ISE, which implies that every project the Ministry will execute must be Impactful, Sustainable, and Eco-friendly.
Engr. Chukwuemeka also credited the improved power supply being enjoyed in the State to the State’s strategic Memorandum of Understanding with the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), pledging that government will not relent in its efforts and forward-thinking initiative to ensure 24/7 power supply in the State.
Going down memory lane on how far the Ministry has gone in ensuring clean and sustainable energy for Ndị Anambra, the Commissioner said some feeders in the state now generate up to 22-hour power supply a day, as against the maximum generation of 15 hours the present administration inherited from the past administration.
This was above the 18 hours they earlier targeted upon assumption of office.
Commissioner Chukwuemeka assured that state government would not relent until it achieves 24/7 power supply in the State, also revealed that the Soludo Administration was making efforts to diversify the state’s energy generation sources, leveraging on the its abundant gas reserve, water bodies, wastes, and solar radiation.
He maintained that the present administration in the State has special interest in the State’s power sector, and further intimated that the state government, through the Ministry, has resolved the Rights of Way challenges, land-related issues and other issues that were hitherto stagnating or impeding the execution of the some federal government’s interventional projects in the power sector in the state for long time.
The Commissioner further revealed that the resolution of those issues has now resulted to the speedy execution of those projects, which include the ongoing construction of the 132KV Umuchu Sub-station and the 133KV Aguleri Sub-station. He also noted that the Ministry was working hard to achieve such resolution and execution in other places in the State where such issues still exist, including the Ogidi Area.
While disclosing that some communities and local government areas in the State, including the Anambra West Local Government Area and parts of Anambra East Local Government Area, such as Eziagulu-Otu, Enugwu-Otu, and Mkpunando had never been connected to the national grid and thus had never seen electricity before; the Commissioner said the arrival of the Soludo Administration had brought relief to people from the area, as some of the communities have now been connected to the national grid while efforts are till in progress to connect the remaining ones.
On the opportunity presented by the Electricity Amendment Act, 2023 which authorizes states to legislate on their power, Commissioner Chukwuemeka explained that the draft of the Anambra State Electricity Policy and Electricity Bill, which are prerequisites for establishing the Anambra State Electricity Market, were currently ready for the consideration of the State Executive Council and the State House of Assembly.
He recalled the recent commissioning of meter manufacturing company in the state which has
“He recalled the recent commissioning of meter manufacturing company in the state which has the capacity to manufacture over 1.4m meters annually, adding that such initiative will help to close the metering gap in the State.
On streetlighting of the State, the Commissioner said the state government, in line with the visionary leadership of Governor Soludo to cut down the cost of governance and promote all-round environmental sustainability, had so far converted over 25,000 diesel-powered streetlights to solar streetlights in different parts of the State and also installed over 1500 new solar-powered streetlights in other parts of the State, including the Okpoko community where over 563 solar streetlights have been installed.
The Commissioner who noted that the present administration inherited over 25,000 diesel-powered streetlights in the State which was costing the State over nine hundred million naira monthly to power, hinted that the amount and the general cost of governance would have soared higher by now, had government not switched over to solar streetlights, considering hike in prices of petroleum products.
0
0
