Egbin Power Confirms Death of Contract Staff on Maintenance Operation

Peter Uzoho 

Egbin Power Plc, Nigeria’s largest electricity generator, has confirmed the death of a contractor during underwater maintenance activities at the Lagos-based facility.

THISDAY gathered that the plant had been forced offline and disconnected from the national grid since Tuesday following a fatal industrial accident that claimed the life of a contractor working inside its lagoon-based pump house

As Nigeria’s largest power generation plant, Egbin has an installed generation capacity of 1,320 megawatts, comprising six units of 220 MW each, and contributes over 16 per cent of the total electricity generated to the national grid. 

The incident, according to anonymous sources, occurred around 8.00 p.m. on Tuesday, when a diver engaged for underwater operations inside the plant’s lagoon water pump system reportedly fell into the water during maintenance work and was tragically caught in a running pump impeller, leading to his death.

The contractor was said to have been working inside the pump house lagoon environment to retrieve or stabilise a pumping machine that had fallen into the water section of the facility.

However, the situation turned fatal when the equipment unexpectedly came into operation while the diver was still inside the restricted area.

“The diver went in to carry out a recovery operation inside the lagoon water pump system. Unfortunately, the pump came on unexpectedly and he was trapped and killed by the impeller,” a source reportedly said. 

Following the incident, operations at the affected section of the plant were immediately suspended, leading to a broader shutdown of the facility as safety protocols were activated. 

THISDAY further learnt that Egbin Power Plc, which is operated under a joint venture structure involving Sahara Power Group and KEPCO, has since been taken off the national grid as engineers and safety officials continue investigations into the circumstances surrounding the accident.

The contracting firm for which the deceased worked, and which was responsible for the underwater drilling and maintenance operations at the plant, has been identified as Browndive Underwater Services.

The company was said to specialise in underwater industrial operations, including pump maintenance and lagoon-based infrastructure servicing.

But confirming the incident in a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communication, Felix Ofulue, Egbin expressed sorrow over the tragic incident.

“The Board and Management of Egbin Power express deep sorrow and extend heartfelt condolences to the family, loved ones, and colleagues of the deceased. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

“The Board and Management of Egbin Power expressed deep sorrow and extend heartfelt condolences to the family, loved ones, and colleagues of the deceased. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

“Immediately following the incident, established emergency response, safety, and reporting protocols were activated, and the relevant authorities were promptly notified”, the company read.

Egbin said it was cooperating with relevant law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders as part of ongoing efforts to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. 

It added that a thorough review of the situation was currently underway.

The company said it remained firmly committed to the health, safety, and well-being of all personnel and contractors, and to maintaining the highest standards across its operations.