24th September, 2018
The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Monday said the commission was exploring alternative power generation sources to boost power supply in the country.
The Chairman of the commission, Prof. James Momoh, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Igarra, Edo.
Momoh said the commission was considering the option of renewable energy as an alternative source of power generation owing to the abundance of sunshine and wind in the country.
“We are working on other options of energy supply so that we do not have to always rely on power from Egbin, Alfan or Sapele.
“That is why we are working and making sure there is network to transfer long distance power to other parts of the country.
“With respect to renewable energy, God has given us wind and solar energy in Nigeria, we can turn sunshine into energy, all we need is to get investors but even Nigerians that are interested can get invoked,” he explained.
He said the commission had regulatory policies that allowed participation into the sector.
“We have regulations that allow them to do so, so if you know somebody who wants to be engaged in distributing power, marketing power, we are the people that will authorize such persons, already some other states have taken advantage of that,” he disclosed.
The NERC chairman said that the commission was committed to ensuring that Nigerians had access to power, adding that every house had to be “metered” to enable them pay for their energy consumption.
“First of all, we have sufficient power and accessible power to everyone who wants to use power and buy, to do so, we are metering, and we have a regulatory policy that says meter is important.
“So every Nigerian home must be metered, so if you do not pay for energy, you do not use.”
Momoh frowned at the process of estimating bills for customers, stressing that the commission was inaugurated to solve both marketing and engineering problems.
He, however, assured the people of Igarra that the power problem in the area would be soon be solved, adding that the power from Okpella power plant would be transferred to the area to boost electricity supply.
“We are working and making sure there is network to transfer long distance power to Igarra, so that is what we just did in Okpella, so Okpella has been in darkness, but we have solved their problem, they will no longer be in darkness.
“Igarra too, we are going to solve their problem, we are going to make sure that power from okpella is going to get to this place, so we will not worry about Abuja power to energize Igarra,” he said.