The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has announced a move to ensure 24hr power supply to Kano, Katsina and Jigawa state by investing $100 milion (N169 billion) through partnership and initial investment to develop a 100 megawatt (MW).
The Head, Corporate Communications of KEDCO, Sani Bala Sani, said said in a statement that the initiative would provide 24-hour power supply to key industries, commercial hubs, and critical government infrastructure would begin its exit from the national grid while eliminating reliance on the national grid.
The statement said the project tagged Safe Grid, plan was due to the lingering effects of the challenges the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is currently facing in supplying energy to its franchise area that has led to it receiving less than half of its allocation from the grid.
He stated this has caused great disruptions for its valued customers, institutions, and businesses while challenging the companyâs financial performance.
He said the âSafe Gridâ will be powered by embedded electricity generation in KEDCOâs network.
âThis project will be built using, first, a 20 MW power plant (of the 100MW) with Utilita under an emergency project valued at $20m that will be operational by the end of the year to begin supply for the âSafe Gridâ.
âThe generation units are already available and KEDCO is accelerating project development ahead of installation and commissioning in the Tamburawa area.
âKEDCO will also purchase electricity for the âSafe Gridâ from the 10MW Haske Solar Power Plant (built by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) and from the 16MW combined capacities from Tiga and Challawa Hydroelectric Power Projects built by the Kano State government, bringing the total initial supply in the âSafe Gridâ to 46MW.
âFurthermore, KEDCO is in discussion with the Federal Ministry of Power to take over and complete the 10MW Katsina Wind Farm project and supply it into the âSafe Gridâ.â
He said 54MW would be supplied through additional power plant projects using gas and solar with a new parallel distribution grid architecture built to take the electricity to all key locations and supply areas in its franchise area, starting from Kano State.
He further disclosed that, âThe âSafe Gridâ is already connecting the Dawanau International Grain Market through a dedicated 40km line (90% completed), conceived and executed by KEDCO and its core investor â Future Energies Africa (FEA). The Administration of their Excellencies â Abba Kabir Yusuf, Dikko Radda, and Umar Namadi (and their respective State Assemblies) have been great supporters of the ongoing turnaround programme in KEDCO.â
âKEDCO is excited to be the first DisCo to offer 24-hour supply through the âSafe Gridâ initiative and ascribes to the visions of our state governors in making our franchise area attractive for industrial and agro-processing businesses to provide the jobs needed to improve the economies of the region, in which stable power is crucial. Our vision is to enable re-industrialisation and socio-economic empowerment of our franchise area through safe, stable, and cost-competitive electricity supply, keenly focused on our customersâ satisfaction.â
