The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, on Thursday released a review of its activities in the year ended 2018, identifying vandalization of facilities, energy theft, attack on members of staff as some of the major challenges in the sector.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Head, Communications, EEDC, Mr. Emeka Ezeh.
Ezeh, however, said the Disco recorded sterling achievements and expressed appreciation to customers “for their support, understanding and overall partnership with the company in the course of the year, despite the numerous challenges that adversely impacted on the quality of service delivery to customers.”
According to him, “some of the recurring challenges which the company grappled with are: vandalism, energy theft, accidental destruction of power facilities, meter bypass, illegal connections and reconnections.
“Others include: non-payment of electricity bills, attack on EEDC field officers and illegal tampering with electrical installations which interfere with the network and in most cases lead to destruction of electrical facilities.
“Following series of engagements with customers, EEDC identified areas of focus and mapped out strategic plans to address them: such as upgrade of some transformers and relieving overloaded ones; installation of entirely new substations; overhauling some weak networks for quality electricity supply.”
He added that “there are also plans to deload some feeders and construct more injection substations to boost electricity supply in identified locations within the network.
“As a matter of fact, contract has been awarded for the construction of a 7.5MVA Injection Substation at ABS, Awka, which will cater for customers within ABS environs, Okpuno, Enugu Agidi, Awka Urban, Zik Avenue and parts of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
“Also approved was the upgrade of Agu Awka Injection Substation from 7.5MVA to 15MVA. Order has been placed for the power transformer which is expected to be delivered hopefully before the end of the month. This will improve supply to customers at Agu Awka, industrial Area, Amansea, Nkwere Awka, Ifite Awka, Nnamdi Azikiwe University permanent site and its environs.
“The management of the company has equally engaged the services of some private contractors to facilitate repair of faulty transformers, thereby shortening the downtime periods experienced in the network.”
Ezeh said that the asset registration and customer enumeration exercise was still ongoing and appealed for maximum cooperation with enumerators, as the exercise was aimed at making EEDC more efficient in providing quality service to customers.
“All these efforts cannot be effectively actualised without the support and cooperation of our esteemed customers.
“Improved electricity supply in the South East will translate to improved business and socio-economic activities; and to achieve this, EEDC is soliciting continued support of her stakeholders and customers,” Ezeh added.
