IGenConvestors in electricity Generation Companies (GenCos) have called for the Federal Government’s intervention as they claim host communities halt over 1,400 megawatts (MW) generation in Gbarain and other power plants demanding for supply directly from them (GenCos).
Speaking under the Association of Power Generating Companies (APGC), the investors said the host communities in Rivers and Abia states (Alaoji GenCo), Bayelsa (Gbarain GenCo) and Ondo (Omotosho GenCo) and other places where power stations are sited have been giving various threats in spite of the many Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) of the GenCos to them.
The Executive Secretary of APGC, Dr. Joy Ogaji, in an exclusive chat yesterday said Gbarain GenCo which produces 100MW daily was shut down since September 6, 2018 over the agitation and has lost 1,400MW aside what the other GenCos had lost to the agitations along with harassment of their staff.
She said communities near Gbarain GenCo said they must be connected for free, noting that she was in a delegation to meet with the leadership of the communities for amicable resolution which failed.
Ogaji said: “It is high time government intervened because what they are requesting for is unreasonable. They want free power supply.”
The GenCos are calling on the Federal Government to intervene in both regulatory and policy aspects.
“Each state has to call their communities to order because these GenCos only owe the host communities the normal CSR which is not a right but a privilege they must not abuse,” the APGC spokesperson said.
APGC said the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) is on a contract to quickly build a dedicated power line and a substation in Gbarain community to serve the communities but they must be connected by Port Harcourt Electricity DisCo.