In an assessment of the ongoing power crisis in Nigeria, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Electricity Distribution (ANED), Nigeria, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, said that persistent system breakdowns are due to improper maintenance, inadequate He said this was due to failures in investment and policy implementation by successive governments. Reforms that have been needed for many years.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Mr. Oduntan said, “The constant collapse is due to lack of proper maintenance, lack of investment and failure of successive governments to do the right thing over the years. There is,” he said.
He highlighted the critical period from 1989 to 1999, when no new power plants were built despite Nigeria’s population booming, saying, “In a normal country, the power sector would grow as the population grew.” infrastructure,” he said, highlighting the neglect that has plagued Nigeria. Power sector.
Oduntan detailed potential solutions to the ongoing challenges of the power grid in anticipation of a hearing scheduled for Thursday following repeated incidents of power grid collapses across the country.
He said: “Nigeria’s power grid is radial in nature. It goes straight ahead with no loops.” He said this design flaw prevents power from being diverted from faulty stations, resulting in large-scale A power outage will occur.
The ANED CEO also advocated increasing the capacity of the electricity grid to at least 30,000MW to meet the needs of Nigeria’s growing population, stating: 6000MW is too low for a population of 30 million people. ”
He said that with that minimum amount of equipment, it can be activated quickly to deal with sudden spikes in power demand or to offset unexpected outages from other generating units. He said maintaining rotational reserve is equally important.
“But how do you get extra or spares when you don’t even have enough? That’s another question,” he added.
At the regional level, Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC) Chairman Chijoke Okonkwo said in the same interview that the new Enugu Electricity Act could herald a brighter future.
The Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission on Tuesday took over full regulatory powers over the state’s electricity market from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
This important move towards strengthening state-level governance in the power sector follows the enactment of the Enugu State Electricity Act 2023 and the establishment of the EERC.
“With the passage of the Electricity Act and the enactment of the Enugu State Electricity Act, we are now poised to drive investment in the power sector for the benefit of the people at large,” Okonkwo said, calling the initiative “unprecedented.” He said it was a thing. Okonkwo said
But he suggested that while short-term costs may rise, market forces are expected to ultimately lead to lower prices for consumers.
“I have to say that before this improvement was made, the lack of supply was actually costing consumers more than they were currently paying for electricity. I call this the fact of home generation. ” said Okonkwo.
He explained that the cost of generating one kilowatt hour (kWh) using petrol or diesel is approximately N500 per kWh on average. This figure is effectively double what Band A consumers currently pay. However, he added that this does not mean Band A fees are not higher.
In an emergency response to the series of power grid disruptions that have plunged Nigeria into darkness, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has convened the leadership of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) for an emergency meeting. .
The country has experienced up to eight major power grid failures this year alone, creating an urgent need for reform and investment in the power sector.
Francis Ibiefo
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