The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has restated his commitment towards providing steady power supply in all communities in Akwa Ibom State as a boost to his industrialisation policy.

Governor Emmanuel spoke in Abuja on Thursday at the ceremony of the granting of a licence by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to the state-owned Ibom Power Company to upgrade the Ibom power plant from a 191 megawatts to 685 megawatts capacity.

According to the Governor the state has invested significantly in the distribution infrastructure to the point that over 90 percent of Akwa Ibom communities have distribution infrastructure and transformers. He also maintained that the state rural electrification projects were in place to ensure 100 percent coverage.

The Governor who was full of praises for NERC said: “I am delighted to be here today to receive this expanded License on behalf of Ibom Power – our wholly owned Independent Power Plant. Needless to say, Ibom Power is one of the first Independent Power Plant (IPP) in our nation.

“I am proud to say that even with several challenges in the industry, Ibom Power is contributing over 110MW of generation to the national grid and this is highly commendable This achievement did not come by happenstance, it happened because our state government over the years has invested heavily in the sector value chain.

“We have built the transmission line that links Ibom Power with the rest of the national grid at the cost of $22 million which we are expecting TCN to refund and take over the ownership of the line consistent with the National Energy Policy.”

He appreciated the role of NERC in regulating the power sector and expressed the willingness of Akwa Ibom State to partner with the agency to make the state a model of steady power supply for industrialisation and sustainable development, in line with the state’s dakkadda movement.

The Chairman of NERC, Dr Sam Amadi who described the ceremony as a significant milestone in the country, commended the Governor for his commitment to ensure steady power supply and promised that the agency would provide all necessary support.

•Photo shows, L-R; Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, Akwa Ibom State Governor Emmanuel Udom and the Vice Chairman NERC, Mr. Mohammed Lawal bello, during the presentation of certificate of additional generation capacity of electricity by Ibom Power plant to Akwa Ibom state Government, yesterday in Abuja.