The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Jennifer Adighije, has disclosed plans by the company to support electricity supply in Lagos with an additional 1,500 megawatts of power.
Adighije made this known during a courtesy visit to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Temitope George, on Friday.
She explained that the company currently has about 2,000 megawatts of stranded generation capacity, which could be deployed to improve power supply in Lagos.
According to her, Lagos receives approximately 1,000 megawatts from the national grid despite an estimated demand of nearly 12,000 megawatts, leaving a significant electricity shortfall across the state.
Adighije said the power firm was prepared to bridge part of the gap through increased electricity generation and investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure.
“Our mandate is fundamentally to scale up power generation alongside the associated transmission and distribution networks. We are uniquely positioned in the power sector because our operations cut across the entire electricity value chain, from gas to generation, transmission, and distribution,” she said.
The NDPHC boss noted that the company had consistently contributed to reforms and infrastructure development in Nigeria’s power sector and was ready to collaborate with LASERC to widen electricity access in Lagos.
She stressed that despite having an installed generation capacity of about 4,000 megawatts, the company currently dispatches only between 400 and 500 megawatts daily, describing the situation as evidence of substantial unused capacity.
“It is widely known that NDPHC owns one of the largest power generation assets in sub-Saharan Africa. We have an installed generation capacity of about 4,000MW, but regrettably, we are only able to dispatch between 400MW and 500MW daily. This clearly shows that we have significant stranded capacity,” Adighije stated.
Citing findings from the recently released Lagos Electricity Market Report, she said the company identified a major energy supply gap in the state and was eager to contribute to closing it.
“This is the role we want to play. That is why we are engaging with LASERC to support the scaling and acceleration of distributed access to electricity in Lagos State,” she added.
Describing Lagos as a commercially attractive electricity market, Adighije said the company was willing to make major investments in power infrastructure, noting that the environment offered a clear pathway for recovering investments.
“The Lagos electricity market is very lucrative and dynamic. This is a market where we are willing to make huge investments. In the past, our investments were largely intervention-based, but now we are looking at a market where there is a clear path to investment recovery,” she said.
She added that the company intended to invest in transmission and distribution assets to ensure residents enjoy improved electricity supply.
Responding, George reiterated the commitment of the Lagos State Government to enhancing electricity access and commended NDPHC for its contributions to the country’s energy sector.
“We are excited to receive NDPHC, one of the largest power generation companies in Nigeria. The company has already made significant investments in Lagos, and we recognise that there are still infrastructure gaps that must be addressed,” George said.
She recalled that LASERC had earlier outlined plans to ensure round-the-clock electricity in some franchise areas of Lagos and expressed optimism that the partnership with NDPHC would improve power reliability.
“With the NDPHC Managing Director’s visit and the company’s willingness to partner with Lagos to provide power and invest in infrastructure, we are optimistic that residents will begin to experience improved and more reliable electricity supply in the future,” she added.
