jeff juwana
Moderator
The Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo has reiterated that by the end of the year 32013, Nigeria will experience an improved power supply. Most Nigerians consider such promise as a recurring issue.
In a similar trend, the minister of state for power, Hajiya Zainaib Ibrahim Kuchi, restated the pledge of Professor Nebo. She noted that the power generation will peak at 10,000 megawatts by the end of December 2013. According to her, the power generation increase would translate to between 17 and 18 hours of power supply in the country.
However, the power sector is still faced with the transmission challenges, which make attempts at putting 5000 megawatts into the transmission network unworkable. A milestone in Nigeria’s improved electricity quest is the effort at re-positioning various Nigerian Independent Power Plants as well as the Niger Delta Power Company, which is billed for commissioning in December this year. Records show that this will generate 10, 000 megawatts in December 2013.
Research indicates that Iran generated 90MW in 1948, 1,500MW in 1970 and 7,025MW in 1978. Her population is 75 million, and its power capacity is put at 43,000MW.
This is against Nigeria’s fledgling 4,000MW serving its over 160 million inhabitants. South Africa is reputed to produce an average of 800 watts per person, but Nigeria’s per capita consumption revolves around 30 watts per person. Mathematically Nigeria can only attain the same level as South African per capita consumption if its power generation gets to 110,000 megawatts.
The effort of the Ministry of Power in improving the nation’s megawatts astronomically is quite commendable. What has become clear is that Nigeria’s power sector can only be improved upon drastically with the massive involvement of the private sector. This calls for the privatization and commercialization of the power sector to meet the demands of Nigerians.
The Nebo-led ministry of power has toed this line through the Independent Power Projects (IPPs), which has brought with it great expectations. The initiative marks the determination of the ministry to ensure that Nigerians have the ownership of the scheme with some foreign, direct investments. This signals that there will be a synergy in building consortiums while the IPPs address matters concerning power requirements.
In a bid to boost the power sector, the Jonathan administration has entered into an MOU with worldwide leaders in the power sector, General Electric.
The deal indicates that General Electric will invest about 15 percent equity in power projects in Nigeria. This rounds up to 10,000MW capacity by the year 2020. The power firm also plans to build packaging facility with local contents for small aero-derivative turbines in Nigeria which will promote job creation.
So far, Nigeria now boasts of between 3000 and 4502 megawatts as at December 2012. Although it is paltry compared to what Nigeria genuinely requires, but it is a sign of positive development because it remains the highest of such record since the new democratic dispensation came on board in 1999.
As year 2013 tickles, the December promise of 10,000 megawatts by the minister of power seems realizable. This seems feasible because the entire ten power plants under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) scheme will be completed and rolled into operations this year.
In a similar trend, the minister of state for power, Hajiya Zainaib Ibrahim Kuchi, restated the pledge of Professor Nebo. She noted that the power generation will peak at 10,000 megawatts by the end of December 2013. According to her, the power generation increase would translate to between 17 and 18 hours of power supply in the country.
However, the power sector is still faced with the transmission challenges, which make attempts at putting 5000 megawatts into the transmission network unworkable. A milestone in Nigeria’s improved electricity quest is the effort at re-positioning various Nigerian Independent Power Plants as well as the Niger Delta Power Company, which is billed for commissioning in December this year. Records show that this will generate 10, 000 megawatts in December 2013.
Research indicates that Iran generated 90MW in 1948, 1,500MW in 1970 and 7,025MW in 1978. Her population is 75 million, and its power capacity is put at 43,000MW.
This is against Nigeria’s fledgling 4,000MW serving its over 160 million inhabitants. South Africa is reputed to produce an average of 800 watts per person, but Nigeria’s per capita consumption revolves around 30 watts per person. Mathematically Nigeria can only attain the same level as South African per capita consumption if its power generation gets to 110,000 megawatts.
The effort of the Ministry of Power in improving the nation’s megawatts astronomically is quite commendable. What has become clear is that Nigeria’s power sector can only be improved upon drastically with the massive involvement of the private sector. This calls for the privatization and commercialization of the power sector to meet the demands of Nigerians.
The Nebo-led ministry of power has toed this line through the Independent Power Projects (IPPs), which has brought with it great expectations. The initiative marks the determination of the ministry to ensure that Nigerians have the ownership of the scheme with some foreign, direct investments. This signals that there will be a synergy in building consortiums while the IPPs address matters concerning power requirements.
In a bid to boost the power sector, the Jonathan administration has entered into an MOU with worldwide leaders in the power sector, General Electric.
The deal indicates that General Electric will invest about 15 percent equity in power projects in Nigeria. This rounds up to 10,000MW capacity by the year 2020. The power firm also plans to build packaging facility with local contents for small aero-derivative turbines in Nigeria which will promote job creation.
So far, Nigeria now boasts of between 3000 and 4502 megawatts as at December 2012. Although it is paltry compared to what Nigeria genuinely requires, but it is a sign of positive development because it remains the highest of such record since the new democratic dispensation came on board in 1999.
As year 2013 tickles, the December promise of 10,000 megawatts by the minister of power seems realizable. This seems feasible because the entire ten power plants under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) scheme will be completed and rolled into operations this year.