NDPHC, Partners to Deliver 20mw Power to Kano Industrial Area
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and its development partners, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) as well as Haier Technologies, have announced a collaboration to provide a 20mw embedded solar generation facility to support businesses in the Challawa Industrial Area, Kano.
The Managing Director of the NDPHC, Jennifer Adighije, who led a management team on a site survey and assessment of the area, disclosed that the Chairman of the NDPHC Board, Vice President Kashim Shettima, had earlier given a directive to that effect.
Others in Adighije’s entourage, who also visited the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), were the Executive Director in charge of Generation, Kassim Abdulahi, and the Executive Director of Corporate Services, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama.
Speaking during a meeting with business owners in Challawa, Adighije described the visit as both significant and emotional, noting the critical role the industrial area plays in national revenue generation and socio-economic development, a statement by the NDPHC’s Head, Corporate Communications and External Relations, Emmanuel Ojor, noted.
“This is a very important and emotional visit. I recall that on December 7 last year, the Chairman of our Board and Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, visited Challawa. Before he even returned to Abuja, he called and gave us a directive to show our presence here by providing an alternative source of electricity to the area.
“You may wonder why it took us from December until now. It took us a few months to come because I engaged development partners to come up with a cost effective solution that will offer affordable tariffs for the Challawa community,” Adighije added.
Adighije noted that NDPHC and the partners came up with a project framework that leverages Kano’s abundant solar potential to deliver reliable, renewable, and affordable electricity to businesses in Challawa.
She added, “I was emotional seeing businesses with the capacity to generate revenue and drive economic growth suffer losses simply due to a lack of affordable electricity. We must turn our solar potential into actionable solutions that unlock opportunities, boost productivity, and serve the greater good of all Nigerians.
“The output of the manufacturing sector should directly translate into job creation, wealth generation, and poverty reduction. Kano is symbolic and strategic to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.”
She assured business owners that NDPHC and its partners are fully committed to deploying embedded solutions that will significantly benefit manufacturers in the area.
“As a generation company, NDPHC primarily supplies power from its gas-fired plants to the national grid. However, with the power market now transitioning to a bilateral trading structure, the company is able to sell directly to off-takers, distribution companies, or registered buyer groups.
“As an association, you can come together to register a trading company and purchase electricity directly from NDPHC. You can be assured that our electricity pricing will be highly competitive—better than what is currently available from distribution companies,” she noted.
