Joy Ogaji, Executive Secretary, Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), has said it is “unreasonable” for communities where power plants are located to demand free supply of electricity.
According to Ogaji, the power producers do not owe them more than their duty to perform their Corporate Social Responsibility, which in itself is a privilege, and not a right.
She listed some of the host communities in Rivers, Abia states (Alaoji GenCo), Bayelsa (Gbarain GenCo), Ondo (Omotosho GenCo) states and other places where power stations are sited, noting that they had been issuing various threats, in spite of the many Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) of the GenCos to them.
Speaking to Daily Trust, she said: “Their position is that NEPA in those days promised them free electricity supply but that was in the past and are political speeches which should not be used to hold down investors. It is high time that government intervened because what they are requesting for is unreasonable. They want free power supply.”
Speaking on the losses incurred from the agitations of members of the host communities, she noted that Gbarain GenCo, which produces 100MW daily was shut down since September 6, 2018 over the agitation and has lost 1,400MW.
She said: “If you know how much a megawatt costs, it is huge and that is just for a power plant. That is not to talk of the injuries and harassment of the staff; the losses are unquantifiable.”
