By Onu Okorie

Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) is considering off-grid solutions, mini-hydropower projects and solar interventions as part of efforts to bridge electricity supply gaps across Nigeria, particularly in the northern part of the country.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NDPHC, Engr. Jennifer Adighije, disclosed this in Abuja during an oversight visit to the company’s headquarters by the House of Representatives Committee on Power, chaired by Hon. Victor Nwokolo.
Adighije said the company was preparing to transition to the second phase of the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), with greater emphasis on renewable energy investments in line with Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan.
She explained that while NIPP Phase 1 focused largely on gas-fired power generation, the second phase would diversify Nigeria’s generation mix by harnessing renewable energy resources, particularly solar and tidal resources.
“Where we are currently is NIPP Phase 1, which is power generation from fossil fuels, from gas. The NIPP Phase 2, in line with the Energy Transition Plan, is where we are diversifying our generation mix and preparing to transition to renewable energy,” she said.
According to the NDPHC boss, the company currently contributes about 4,000 megawatts to Nigeria’s installed generation capacity of approximately 12,000MW, representing about 30 per cent of the country’s installed capacity.
She said NDPHC had built 10 power plants under NIPP Phase 1, with seven now commercially operational, two under construction and one undergoing upgrades.
Beyond generation, Adighije said the company had made significant investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure, completing 120 transmission projects comprising 60 330kV substations, 31 132kV substations and 37 expansion projects.
She added that the projects had increased installed transformer capacity by more than 10,000MVA, while hundreds of distribution projects, including distribution transformers and 33kV and 11kV lines, had also been undertaken nationwide.
Highlighting achievements recorded since the commencement of her administration, Adighije said NDPHC had recovered 110 abandoned containers and 216 packages within its first 100 days, saving the company more than N30 billion.
She also listed debt recovery, digitalisation, improved procurement practices, asset restoration, completion of distribution projects and recovery of generation units among the key achievements of her administration.
The NDPHC chief executive disclosed that the company had recovered about $12 million from cross-border bilateral customers in Togo and other debtors from an outstanding debt exceeding $50 million.
She further said several turbines had been recovered across NDPHC’s power plants, adding about 470MW to the national grid.
Despite these gains, Adighije identified transmission constraints, low electricity tariffs, inadequate market settlements, gas supply challenges, unpaid debts and vandalism as major obstacles to the company’s operations.
She said NDPHC had more than 1,500MW of mechanically available generation capacity but was being allocated an hourly dispatch of only about 500MW, resulting in substantial suppressed and stranded generation capacity.
According to her, the situation had cost the company more than N300 billion, prompting a call for regulatory intervention to review the existing dispatch merit order.
Adighije also appealed to the House Committee on Power to intervene in outstanding debts owed NDPHC by participants in the electricity market, including the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), which she said had accumulated liabilities of more than N400 billion.
She added that NDPHC was seeking settlement of obligations arising from its assets recognised in the regulated asset base of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Responding to the presentation, the Chairman of the House Committee on Power, Hon. Victor Nwokolo, commended the NDPHC management for its efforts to improve electricity generation and described the company’s activities as critical to the entire power value chain.
Nwokolo, who said the committee had also visited some of NDPHC’s power stations, acknowledged the management’s efforts to improve access to electricity.
He stressed that the success of the power sector depended on effective performance across generation, transmission and distribution.
“If they don’t generate, there’s nothing to transmit. If they don’t transmit, there’s nothing for me to distribute. So I must commend them,” he said.
The committee chairman also praised Adighije’s proactive approach to managing NDPHC and addressing challenges confronting its power plants, citing the Alaoji power plant as an example of a facility that could have suffered a worse fate without timely intervention.
Nwokolo assured NDPHC of the legislature’s support, noting that the company could not resolve all the challenges confronting Nigeria’s power sector on its own.
He said the committee would examine the concerns raised by NDPHC and engage relevant stakeholders to find solutions.