Proton Energy To Site $250Million Power Plant In Sapele

By Lucky Isibor

Proton Energy Limited is to site a $250Million power project in Sapele, Sapele Local government area of Delta State with a view to boosting the energy needs of the country.

The project which is Direct Foreign Investment, DFI, when completed in 2020, is expected to add 150 mega watts of electricity to the national grid and also provide 1000 jobs to Nigerians during the construction stage.

Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Proton Energy Limited, Mr. Oti Ikomi who disclosed this Thursday during the ground breaking ceremony, said the investment will assist industrialization, business growth and jobs creation in the country.

He said the diversification of the Nigerian economy will be a pipe dream without new and diverse power supply sources just as he added that the country was endowed with considerable energy sources and should enjoy a competitive advantage in low cost and reliable energy generation thus unlocking a virtuous circle of investments in energy hungry sectors including mining industry and agriculture.

Ikomi, who stated that the generation deficit in Nigeria was staggering, added that, “there is a rule of thumb that says that a population of 1,000,000 people requires 1, 000MW of power to meet the basic energy needs and 1,500MW for heavily society”

“Nigeria’s population of 180million people requires between 180,000MW at the minimum and 270,000MW to meet the country’s inspirational standard of living and degree of industrialization. To put these numbers into the context the current estimated delivered on grid energy is only approximately 5,000MW”.

The Governor of Delta state, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa who performed the ground breaking, called on the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Kachikwu Ibe to assist drive the process of the relocation of  multi-national oil companies’ headquarters to the areas of their operations.

He said the relocation of their headquarters apart from growing new cities, will also make the oil bearing communities to be aware that these companies care for their needs, thus reducing incidents of pipe line vandalization among others.

Governor Okowa while expressing gratitude to Proton Energy Limited for citing the project in Sapele, stressed the need for the country to improve on energy distribution, adding that with the addition of 150 mega watts of electricity, there should be a robust plan by the Transmission Company of Nigeria to expand.

Earlier, the Royal Father of the day at the ground breaking ceremony, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Orhue 1, Major General Felix Mudjakpero tasked governors of oil producing states in the country to prevail on the Federal government to compel multi-national oil companies operating in their states of operation adding that the relocation will assist in the provision of job opportunities to the people of oil producing states as well