NDPHC Seeks Akwa Ibom Intervention to Revive Long-Delayed N4bn Power Project

The Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) has renewed efforts to revive the long-delayed 330kV Ikot Abasi Transmission Line in Akwa Ibom State, nearly two decades after the project was awarded.

The company is seeking the intervention of the Akwa Ibom State Government to resolve outstanding community, compensation and wayleave issues that have stalled the project.

NDPHC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Adighije, made the appeal during a courtesy visit to Governor Umo Eno in Uyo.

Adighije said the outstanding wayleave obligations were recently valued at slightly below N4 billion. She explained that resolving the issues would allow the contractor, Anit Energy, to return to site and complete the project.

The transmission project was awarded in 2006 under the National Integrated Power Projects programme. According to NDPHC, the contractor has completed about 90 per cent of the engineering, procurement and construction procurement, while substantial materials, including conductors and tower components worth millions of dollars, have already been deployed along the project corridor.

However, the unresolved compensation and community-related issues have left the materials stranded across several communities.

NDPHC is targeting May 29, 2027, for commissioning of the transmission line, subject to the resolution of the outstanding challenges.

The project is expected to strengthen electricity transmission capacity in Akwa Ibom and support the state’s growing industrial and commercial activities. It is also linked to efforts to improve the capacity of the power network to support major industrial facilities in the Ikot Abasi area.

Governor Eno welcomed the initiative and said the state government would present the matter to the State Executive Council for consideration and determine how it could intervene.

The development comes as NDPHC and the state government also explore ways to improve the use of existing electricity infrastructure and extend access to underserved communities.