Mr Augustine Nwokocha, the Rivers Commissioner of Information and Communication, on Wednesday said that the state Independent Power Generation Initiative would increase power generation to 720 mega watts by 2013.
He disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the state achieved 540 megawatts in 2011 and will add 180 megawatts to hit 720 megawatts in 2013.
The commissioner said that the Gov. Rotimi Amechi's administration was committed to power generation, transmission and distribution and would continue to improve on them until the end of its tenure.
“We will continue to improve on power generation until we achieve uninterrupted supply in every nook and cranny of the state,’’ the commissioner said.
Nwokocha said that the refusal of some communities to make land available was the major challenge preventing the government from achieving its objective in power generation.
He commended the communities that had been supporting the state government on the project.
“The state power generation is progressing and we will continue to encourage our people to give us land for the project because land is useless when not in use.
“When the project is completed, industrial activities will improve,'' Nwokocha said.
He commended the Federal Government for approving the state’s power project, stressing that “it is a welcome development’’. (NAN)