The construction of 2×60 Mega Voltage Amber and 132/33 Kilo Voltage transmission sub-station in Kabba, Kogi, will be completed in July, Pohunda Ebenezer, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) Coordinator, has said.
Ebenezer made this known on Friday when Alhaji Suleiman Zarma, the Minister of State II for Power Works and Housing, visited the site, accompanied by some officials of the ministry.
He said that construction work on the 50-million-dollar project, was currently at 69.5 per cent.
He said: “If we can finish the foundation and coupling of all the equipment in the next two months, we will go a long way to enhance the ongoing construction.
“But we cannot achieve that because of some certain difficulties and challenges. Firstly, we have community challenge; then secondly, although payment has been made but in terms of procurement, it takes a while.
“With the coming of this project, we will be able to feed more people, neighbouring communities and industries around this place.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the minister is on an inspection tour of Federal Government road, housing and power projects in the state.
The contract was awarded on March 8, 2016, to JV of Pak Elektron Ltd. and Rhuoga Energy Ltd.
In his remarks, Zarma said when completed, the World Bank-funded project would improve the living condition of the residents by tackling the epileptic power supply and boosting agro investment.
He said: “As you can see, the setting here is an agrarian setting; so, we are expecting a lot of investments in the agro industry and they need to be serviced by power; that is the whole essence of it.”
The minister, however, noted that the project would satisfactorily improve the lives of people in neighbouring communities in Kabba, expressing delight that the substantial percentage of the equipment required to finish the project was on the ground.
“We need to get the transmission lines in place before the completion of the ongoing construction to boost effective use.”
NAN also reports that Zarma had earlier inspected the rehabilitation of Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba-Ilorin Road (Obajana-Kabba) Section II) C/No. 6242, being handled by Dangote Cement Plc.
The 42.9-km road rehabilitation work is at 38.87 per cent and it is expected to be completed on December 4, 2018.