The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) said the Alaoji power plant project is now at 16 per cent completion.
The NDPHC managing director, Jennifer Adighije, disclosed this during an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Power, led by the chairman of the committee, Victor Nwokolo, to the facility on Thursday.
Alaoji power plant is one of the ten National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) plants managed by the NDPHC. Located in Alaiyi, a community near Aba in Abia State, South-Eastern Nigeria. It is proposed as a combined cycle plant with an installed capacity of 1,074MW (at ISO) on completion.
The simple cycle of the project was commissioned in 2015, but the combined cycle part has faced some delays.
In 2025, the NDPHC said only phase 1 which is a simple cycle plant with a capacity of 504.4MW (at ISO, comprising four units of 126.1MW GE Frame 9EA gas turbines) is currently in operation.
Speaking to the lawmakers on Thursday, Ms Adighije, said NDPHC had taken steps to address previous delays and place the project on a clear recovery trajectory.
She explained that management had compelled the contractor to submit a revised recovery plan to ensure timely completion of the project.
“Previously we experienced some slippages, and we had to compel the contractor to come up with a recovery plan, which they have now done.
“Initially we had envisaged that the project would be completed by the end of this year, but clearly that is not possible. With the revised schedule, we are now working towards completion by the third quarter of 2027,” she said.
She assured the committee that the NDPHC remained committed to providing both technical and financial support to ensure the project progressed without further setbacks.
“We are prepared as management to provide all the necessary support in terms of engineering, and we have been doing that. That is why we are gaining traction.
“In terms of finances, we ensure that we meet our obligations to the contractor. We are not owing the contractor, so there is absolutely no reason to envisage any slippages for now,” she said.
Speaking after inspecting the facilities, Mr Nwokolo said the committee observed tangible efforts by the company to recover critical equipment and reposition the project for completion.
“Let me start by commending the MD for being proactive. You were with us during our tour of the installation and we have seen a lot of containers recovered, over a hundred containers. That shows extra effort is being put into the system,” he said.
He noted that delays in clearing imported equipment from Nigerian ports had slowed down many power sector projects, particularly those belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
“Today, one of the problems we are having with TCN is that virtually all their imports are being held in the seaports. But here, it is a different story from what it used to be.”
He added that the committee had directed the contractor handling the project to provide NDPHC management with full visibility of equipment purchases and manufacturing progress to prevent further delays.
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“We have asked that management should be kept fully informed by the contractor on the purchases they have made so that their team can conduct on-the-spot assessments of the equipment,” he said.
Mr Nwokolo warned that waiting until equipment manufacturing is completed before inspection could further delay the project.
“Waiting until this is completed will cause more delay in the project. That is why we want management to follow up closely.”
The committee urged contractors to accelerate external works, particularly ahead of the rainy season.
“We have asked them to improve on their progress, particularly the external works, because by the time the rains start it will be difficult to work. They have assured us that the piling works will be completed in no distant time.
“If you know the history of this project, it has taken over 20 years. That shows that the present management is living up to expectations. But Nigerians want to see the physical light,” he said.
