By Joy Yesufu
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has assured residents that the state’s Independent Power Plant (IPP) will deliver uninterrupted electricity before the end of 2025 but stressed that the service will not be free.
Diri gave the clarification on Thursday during an inspection of six newly delivered 60MW gas turbines at Elebele in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.
Two additional turbines and accessories are expected to arrive next week.
The governor explained that while the project is expected to provide Bayelsa with 24-hour power supply, consumption would be metered and billed.
He said the state had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jampur Group to establish a customised metering plant in Bayelsa.
“For there to be constant electricity, everybody must pay for it. It is pay-as-you-consume,” Diri said. “We are sticking to our deadline, and hopefully before Christmas, Bayelsa will begin to enjoy uninterrupted power.”
He noted that the state opted for eight medium-sized turbines instead of two larger ones to avoid statewide outages in the event of a breakdown.
Commissioner for Power, Mr. Kharin Komuko, described the project as “a dream come true” for the administration’s Assured Prosperity agenda, while the Managing Director of Bayelsa Electricity Company, Engr. Olice Kemenanabo, explained that the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company’s (PHEDC) existing network of over 400 transformers in Bayelsa would be utilised to distribute power from the IPP.
Kemenanabo added that both parties were working together under provisions of the Electricity Act to prevent legal disputes over distribution rights.
Technical partners, Jampur Group, also reaffirmed the project’s completion timeline.
Project Manager Sharif Abu described the gas plant as “crucial and sensitive” and assured that work was on schedule.
Beyond the IPP, Governor Diri also inspected the ongoing construction of a 25,000-capacity stadium at Igbogene and a nine-storey civil servants’ secretariat at Ovom in Yenagoa. He was accompanied by Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Speaker of the House of Assembly Abraham Ingobere, PDP State Chairman Solomon Agwana, and other top officials.
