Ikeja Electric (IE) Plc has signed a Tripartite Interconnected Mini-Grid Agreement with Enaro Energy Limited and Ayobo community to provide uninterrupted electricity supply to Ishokan Phase1 Estate, MercyLand Estate and Mercy Land Phase1 residents in Ayobo, Lagos State.
The initiative is in line with the Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission’s (NERC) goal of ensuring there is steady power supply across communities through partnerships between Distribution Companies and Independent Power generators.
The agreement, which was signed on Wednesday at IE’s headquarters, Alausa, Lagos, would rely on the Interconnected Mini-grid Initiative of the sector to provide the customers with uninterrupted power supply.
IE Chief Finance Officer, Seqinah Adewunmi, who represented the Chief Executive Officer, Folake Soetan, stated that the initiative was a landmark in the history of the sector in Lagos, as those communities would be the first to experience uninterrupted power supply in the state, via a blend of grid and off-grid generation and distribution of power.
According to her, it will demonstrate the possibility that our customers can enjoy 24-hour power supply which is in line with the core mission of our organisation to be the provider of choice wherever power is consumed. She congratulated everyone that had been part of the process, noting that the initiative would transform the ways in which electricity is being distributed in Nigeria. She further stated that this initiative will set the pace for bigger things to happen as the plan is to expand to other communities within the Ikeja Electric Franchise area.
The Managing Director, Enaro Energy, Oluwaseun Smith, expressed his appreciation that the project was coming to fruition. He added that the journey began about two and half years ago and was glad that all the efforts towards ensuring the signing of the contract was worth it. He stated that Enaro Energy is committed to providing resources to ensure the success of the project.
Speaking on behalf of the communities, Baba Agba Lawrence, said despite initial doubts at the early stages of discussion for this project, they have been impressed by the level of commitment expressed by Ikeja Electric and Enaro Energy. He acknowledged and appreciated the collaboration between Ikeja Electric and Enaro with a final phrase “We sincerely thank Ikeja Electric and Enaro Energy for making our dreams come true”.
He pleaded that the three-month agreement for the project to go live should be maintained since they have shared the information with members of the communities, and they are eagerly waiting to see the project kick-start.
The Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, IE, Ugochukwu Obi-Chukwu, stated that with the signing of the agreement, his company and Enaro Energy, would commence work in earnest. He said IE’s technical team will work with their counterparts in Enaro Energy to ensure that the power generators connect with Ikeja Electric’s network infrastructure leading to the goal of 24-hour power supply.
IE and Enaro Energy have targeted this December as the target go-live date for the initiative.
