26 May 2013, Warri — THE two gas turbines and accessories, manufactured by Rolls Royce, United States of America, USA, for the controversial N23.2 billion Delta State Independent Power Project, IPP, Oghara, Ethiope-West Local Government Area, have been in Oghara for more than one year, awaiting installation.
South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, who spoke to reporters in Warri on the project, recently, alleged that the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Victor Ochei, who divested his 14-year interest in the company, June, 2011, “has collected N18 billion from the Delta State Government, but nothing has happened on the site.”
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of DavNotch, the contractor handling the project, Mr. Norbert Osodi, disclosed in Asaba that “The turbines and accessories for the IPP are all in Oghara. They are all in our warehouse in Oghara and as we speak, work at the site is 60 per cent completed.”
He admitted that there was delay in the release of funds to the company and problem of motorable road, adding that construction was completed, last month, by government, and that the company will return to site, during the week.
Osodi said that the IPP was almost completed and as soon as the ongoing civil works were completed, the turbines would be moved to site.
“It is not about long buildings, we have all the equipment in Oghara. The civil works were delayed because there was no access road. The bridge was constructed less than two months ago, if you go there now, you will see work going on at site.”
The Italian Project Manager, Mr. Renzo Galvananghi, who conducted our reporter round the site, said: “We just resumed after the access road was constructed and before the end of the year, we would have completed some major works here for the turbines to be brought to site.
“You can see workers working at the various sections, those doing the fencing, internal roads, piling of the base of the sub-station. We will work even under the rain to complete the project on time,” he said.
*Emma Amaize
