10th April, 2014
Despite the ongoing reforms in the electricity sector, power supply is yet to improve. The distribution companies (Discos) in particular have been charged severally by the government to step up their performance beyond what has been termed feeble efforts to improve electricity supply to Nigerians.
But the bottom line remains: the Discos can only distribute what has been generated. With current output still not more than 3000 megawatts, and generation capacity of below 4500 megawatts, which is no improvement over what the Discos inherited at the point of sealing the privatisation deal, the blame cannot be heaped on them completely. It has become obvious that despite the considerable investments in the building of power plants in the last 12 years, it has not been backed by commensurate investments towards ensuring the provision of appropriate gas to feed the plants. Even the power plants in existence prior to the building of new ones are starved of gas. Yet, the Federal Government continues to harp on the persistent headache of sabotage on the gas pipelines as the cause of epileptic power supply.
Globally, countries that boast stable electricity supply have achieved this feat by investing in various means available to generate electricity not by concentrating on the building of gas-powered plants and neglecting other options. Many developed countries around the world generate about 50% of their electricity from coal power plants. This viable option must now be harnessed because Nigeria has component states endowed with coal.
For a country bedeviled by the problems associated with supply of gas to power plants, looking away from an estimated 1.8 billion tons of coal lying fallow is choosing to deliberately grope in darkness. By utilizing the coal option alone, achieving stable electricity within a few years from now would not be a herculean task. Exploitation of renewable energy such as wind power, biomass and solar should also be a priority at this point.
Recently, the Minister Finance & Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala stressed the need to supplement mainstream power generation by harnessing renewable energy. She must ensure that the board of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company Plc, NBET, which she chairs hastens the approval of proposals already submitted towards developing the vast renewable energy in Nigeria.
Nigeria must switch to alternative sources of power rather than just relying on gas and hydro plants for any hope towards meeting the target of 40,000MW by 2020. Without the augmentation of capacity through other alternatives, the economy may suffer more in the coming years from lack of power.
Government’s reluctance to give the nod towards assuring the financing process for the 3050MW Mambilla hydro dam cannot be justified, since it has been adjudged a worthwhile project over a decade ago. Worse still, and according to Chinedu Nebo, Minister of Power, 264 hydro dams are also not being fully utilized across the country. Channelling enough funds towards fixing the turbines and other components in these facilities to boost electricity generation would be a right step in the quest to increase power supply by all possible means, at least in the short run.