PHED Assures Calabar Electricity Consumers 24 hours Supply

The Management of the Port Harcourt Electricity Company (PHED) has assured electricity consumers in Cross River State and the general public improved supply as it has entered into a bilateral agreement with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).

Chioma Aninwe, Acting Manager, Corporate Communications, PHED, who signed the statement issued in Calabar at the weekend  said the agreement principally is aimed at meeting the demands of customers, adding that “By this development, PHED is collaborating with NDPHC to supply 100MW of excess power from Odukpani power plant to Calabar Metropolis exclusively.

She said the “Network Optimisation will be carried out in order to rehabilitate the network and increase the network capacity to ensure it can meet 24/7 supply to Calabar. The projects have already begun and one has been completed, which is the construction of one unit of 15MVA (1×15 MVA) at Adiabo in Odukpani LGA.”

Aninwe also said PHED is also to construct a substation at Akpabuyo LGA, all aimed at showing commitment to resolving the community’s electricity issues. 

“Another important step is PHED will install  Smart Meters for Customers.In this scheme, about 120,000 meters have been earmarked at this stage and should arrive in few months. These details were made public on Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Calabar where PHED flagged off the awareness campaign on the new development,” she said. 

According to her, “The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of the PHED, Dr Henry Ajabhawa, who was  represented by the Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Solomon Okopi, appealed to Customers and stakeholders to see this move as a vital scheme to boost electricity supply in Cross River State and in its franchise states including Rivers, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom.”

He also appealed to customers to always pay their bill or recharge their pre-paid meters at the right time to enable the Disco to serve them better. 

The MD/CEO further reiterated his appeal for support against energy theft and acts of vandalism or attacks on PHED personnel on legitimate assignments because, as he stated, “such attacks amount to setbacks in the entire energy value chain as well as serious acts of economic sabotage.