How Egbin Raised Power Generation to 1,000MW after 2013 Privatisation

Peter Uzoho

 As the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) commemorates its 10th post privatization anniversary, the Chief Executive Officer of Egbin Power Plc, Mr. Mokhtar Bounour, has said the company recorded landmark improvement in the last 10 years, having raised its generation capacity to 1,000 megawatts (MW), up from below 400mw at the time of privatisation in November 2013.

Notwithstanding the challenges still facing the Nigerian power sector, Bounour told THISDAY that the milestone recorded by the company in a decade, resulted in greater contribution to the nation’s socio-economic growth.

While joining other industry stakeholders in commemorating the anniversary, the Egbin Power CEO attributed the achievement over the decade to the unwavering commitment of the board, management, and staff as well as massive support from partners in the power sector value chain.

He emphasised the company’s renewed commitment to continue to contribute to the sustainable development of the sector, insisting that the transformation was driven by high aspirations and a clear vision of Sahara Group to contribute positively to the nation’s power sector.

“Following the takeover in 2013, the turnaround of Egbin power plant was decisive and strategic, in line with the vision of the management to provide reliable and accessible power supply to Nigerians.

“The clear focus and commitment of the company stirred them to prioritise and inject substantial investment in crucial areas including overhaul, human capital development, safety of employees, upgrade of equipment and infusion of state-of-the-art technology, among several other capital projects.

“These initiatives ushered in a significant increase in the generation capacity that grew from below 400 MW to over 1000 MW,” Bounour said.

According to him, the company will continuously give stability to the grid through sustainable power generation.

Noting that the company’s sole product is electricity, the CEO, however, revealed that Egbin was also empowering schools, hospitals, and strategic institutions as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

He maintained that the Generation Company (Genco) was participating positively in the economic growth of the country owing to its very importance to the grid, which he said, “puts the responsibility on the management to maintain stability on the grid and participate positively in all areas, leading to an improvement of the entire sector.”