Mohammed Shosanya
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has rolled out alternative measures towards resolving the issue bordering on the continuous disconnection of power supply to the Lalupon community and its environs, Ibadan for over 10 years.
Residents of the communities, had on Monday, staged a peaceful protest at the IBEDC office.
Giving update on the power supply situation in the area at a press briefing in Ibadan, the Coordinating Head, Corporate Services, Mrs. Angela Olanrewaju, said as part of solutions taken currently, 65 percent of customers on the feeder are receiving supply, with 40 transformers on load shedding while exploring options to back feed some of the remaining Distribution Substations (DSS) from an alternative feeder.The press briefing was in response to a peaceful protest.
According to her, other measures are; New Asejire to Lalupon quick wins and extensive use of Isolators with the existing network arrangement within a timeline of three weeks as well as cascading of load between feeders within a timeline of four weeks.
On the medium-term solution, she said Odo ori 11kv feeder will be converted to 33kv feeder between an estimated period of eight to nine weeks.
Olanrewaju also stated that the construction of the 33Kv Substation project in Lalupon, funded by the Central Bank is aimed at resolving the ongoing power supply challenges in the area.
She,however,outlined the key components of the project and the challenges it has faced which he said includes funding constraints and right of way issues.
The company also emphasised its commitment to engaging with the community and has held numerous meetings with local leaders to explain the situation and explore solutions.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by these challenges and are using this medium to assure our customers that every effort is being made to expedite the completion of the 33kV substation project and restore full power supply.
“As a customer centric company, we are deeply concerned about the supply situation, as such we have held over ten meetings with the leaders of the communities to explain the situation.
“These meetings with community leaders underscore our commitment to resolving these issues and improving service delivery,” she added.