Nigeria Content Online

The
National Independent Power Project (NIPP) has begun the evacuation of
the multi-million naira turbines and other electrical equipment from
Calabar Port to the project site at Odukpani, in Cross River State.

The evacuation
began four years after the delivery of the equipment at the port,
reports the News Agency of Nigeria. The project, expected to deliver
561 megawatts of electricity to the nation, is to be completed in the
second quarter of 2011, according to Paul Akinola, the Site Manager.

He said the
evacuation of 16 heavy equipment, which includes five turbines, five
generators, five transformers and accessories, began on Tuesday, and
would be concluded next week. The equipment, imported under the NIPP
programme, had been lying at the port due to the weak bridge serving as
a link, at Akpe Ekpong community, near the project site.

The bridge is
situated on the Calabar-Itu highway, less than 50 km to the port. Mr.
Igwe Onuoa, Vice Chairman of NIPP Technical Committee, had told members
of the NIPP Steering Committee on an inspection in April 2009, that the
bridge was “very weak”, and needed reinforcement.

However, instead of
the reinforcement, a by-pass has been constructed, which Mr. Akinola
said was considered more convenient and faster in the circumstance. He
said that construction of the by-pass, which was approved by the
Federal Ministry of Transport and executed by the NIPP, began in March
and ended mid-April.

He disclosed that
10 of the equipment were delivered at the project site as at Friday,
adding that the remaining six would be evacuated next week. Mr. Akinola
explained that although the project is 45 per cent completed,
assembling all the equipment at the site would speed up work on the
project. Marubeni Corporation of Japan is the contractor handling the
project.