President Muhammadu Buhari has officially launched the Eko Electricity Distribution Company’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition – Distribution Management System (SCADA-DMS) Centre and reiterated the commitment of his administration to addressing the liquidity challenges which are adversely affecting the power sector.
President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman at the official commissioning which held at the Disco’s Corporate Headquarters in Marina, Lagos stated further that his administration has noted with grave concerns the increased the fiscal burden of the Federal Government occasioned by the tariff shortfall in the sector which are longer sustainable.
“My efforts, via the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Power Assistance Fund (CBN PAF) targeted at supporting tariff shortfalls. Such interventions can no longer be extended and must be phased out to promote the sector’s financial independence. We are also aware that these tariff shortfalls sit on Discos book and impair their ability to raise capital and invest,” the President said.
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President Buhari commended EKEDC for bringing such innovative technology to life.
“EKEDC will now be able to promptly identify and resolve faults to ensure its customers continue to enjoy power supply. This is clear evidence that the present administration is committed to the improvement of power supply in the country,” he said.
The Minister also stated that the Mass Metering Programme embarked upon by the Federal Government in collaboration with the Discos will ensure the elimination of the metering gap and estimated billing challenging the electricity supply consumers.
According to a statement signed by Godwin Idemudia, general manager, Corporate Communications of EKEDC, he said the project was funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria via the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilization Facility (NEMSF) and was implemented in phases through a partnership with Tech Systems Limited, and a Canadian based company, M/S Survalent Technology, a leading technological company reputed in providing SCADA-DMS-OMS solutions.
He stated that project being the first of its kind in the West African electricity distribution space, SCADA-DMS is a state-of-the-art technology which provides remote coverage and relay of interconnected network communication enabling the Company to have real-time access to monitor and control its distribution infrastructure.
The project partner, Tech Systems Limited, Technology, in his remark, stated that SCADA System is a futuristic technology integrated with other distribution systems including the GIS/OMS and DERMS Solutions. The control centre located at the corporate headquarters of the EKEDC is also integrated with all safety and security systems and fully protected with double firewall to provide data security at all times.
The SCADA-DMS Centre is also equipped with modern web technology that enables the EKEDC leadership to monitor the power flow from any location across the globe.
In his words, Walter Olatunde, managing director, Tech Systems Limited, said “We consider it a privilege and opportunity to partner with Eko Electricity in considering technology as the path to a reliable and efficient customer satisfaction and we are happy to be a partner with EKEDC in moving to the next level as the most advanced and technologically in-tune distribution company in Nigeria”.
In his opening remark, the Chairman Board of Directors of EKEDC, Charles Momoh stated that the implementation of the SCADA – DMS is a further evidence of EKEDC’s commitment to the development of the power sector in Nigeria. Features provided by the system such as real-time monitoring, remote fault identification and data analysis will ensure our operations meet up with global standards as well as give a boost to our service excellence drive.
Adeoye Fadeyibi, managing director/CEO of EKEDC, in his remarks, reiterated the company’s commitment to improving its services and customer satisfaction. He also stated that more projects aimed at actualizing the desired stable electricity supply are underway.
