Energy and Power
Nigeria to Provide Electricity to 5m Households by 2030 – Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria is working on an ambitious Energy Plan towards reducing the energy shortcomings by year 2030.
Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s spokesman in a statement late Friday evening, said Buhari spoke in line with Nigeria’s role as a Global Theme Champion for the Energy Transition, theme of the High-Level Dialogue on Energy on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The president said: “Nigeria’s commitment to a just transition is reflected in our ambitious Energy Compact, which includes the Government’s flagship project to electrify five million households and twenty million people using decentralized solar energy solutions.
“This is a major first step towards closing our energy access deficit by 2030.
“Nigeria’s commitment is also reflected in the development of our Energy Transition Plan, which was developed with support of the UK COP26 Energy Transition Council.”
The Nigerian leader called for support from developed countries to unlock the financing needed to accelerate a just energy transition for all.
“The focus of our discussions on transition must now evolve how we help countries develop detailed energy transition plans and commitments to mobilize enough financing to empower countries to implement those plans,” he said.
According to him, the scale of financing required for Nigeria to achieve net-zero, amounts to over US$ 400 billion across the Nigerian economy in excess of business-as-usual spending over the next 30 years.
“This breaks down to US$ 155 billion net spend on generation capacity, US$ 135 billion on transmission and distribution infrastructure, US$ 75 billion on buildings, US$ 21 billion on industry and US$ 12 billion on transport.”
The president, however, said that gas would continue to have a big role to play before it is phased out, explaining that solid fuel cooking is still wreaking havoc in Africa:
“As a global leader on the energy transition, it is imperative that I flag a major risk to development that stems from the current narrative around the energy transition, particularly on the role of gas and the lack of financing.
“Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan has laid out our roadmap to reach net-zero and highlights the scale of the effort required, which includes the development and integration of renewables into current grid infrastructure at tremendous scale and electrification of all sectors.
“This is challenging for any country, especially a developing country. On our development objectives, gas will have a key role to play here for some years before being phased out,” he said.
President Buhari noted that these plans must also take into account, the provision of access to electricity and clean cooking solutions for those in Nigeria and around the world currently without access.
According to him, an often-overlooked point is the essential role of gas in addressing clean cooking challenges.
“Globally there are 2.6 billion people who lack access to clean cooking – which is unacceptable.
“Even more concerning is that solid fuel cooking in Africa causes almost 490,000 premature deaths annually, making it the second largest health risk in Africa,’’ he further maintained. (NAN)
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Government towards achieving the desired target of 350GW electricity generating capacity by the year 2043.
The Minister, who spoke during a briefing session Thursday, in his office in Abuja, by top management staff of the Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA) said that it would only be possible if all hands were on deck towards realizing the targets.
He informed that ‘’the present administration of President Bola Tinubu, has prioritized the Power Sector as the topmost priority of all the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP) assets classes”
He added that over the years, the government had also embarked on several reforms to turn around the power sector, the latest being the new Electricity Bill.
Bagudu pointed out that ‘’the electricity law repeals the Electricity and Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 and consolidates the law relating to the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).The Minister noted that the Nigeria Electricity Act 2023 prioritized the implementation of tariffs that accurately reflected the cost and service provided as well as promoted competition in the electricity sector through the use of contracts and rules’’.
He further stated that the main objective of the law was to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Nigeria electricity industry, adding that NEMSA was one of the key players in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) charged with the responsibility of carrying out the enforcement of technical standards and regulations, technical inspection, testing, and certification of all categories of electrical installations across the country to ensure stable, safe and reliable electricity networks.
Bagudu added that the agency strived to ensure zero incidences of electrical accidents, energy accountability, eliminate substandard electrical equipment and material and rid the system of quack electrical installation personnel contractors.
Bagudu explained that the agency had embarked on some of the activities, which included: an inspection of over 15,931 electricity projects across the country, out of which 10,692 had been certified fit for use by NEMSA, monitoring of 12,114 existing networks and power systems nationwide; Inspection of 3,255 electrical installations at factories across the country, among others.
In his brief, the MD/CEO of NEMSA & Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, Engr. Aliyu Tukur Tahir said that their priority was to have a steady light electricity network that was stable, safe, and reliable. “We also strive to ensure zero incidences in the electricity networks, energy accountability, and eliminate substantial electrical material and equipment across our network in the country”.
He pointed out that “electricity has become part of our everyday life, it is a great benefit to all of us but the electricity we use is associated with a lot of hazards and these hazards are so real that they can even affect professionals themselves; so to mitigate these hazards, number of technical standards and revelations are now developed and that was why this agency was established to carry out enforcement of technical inspection, testing and certification before they are allowed to be used”.
The Breau of Public Procurement (BPP) and African Development Bank (AfDB) have entered into partnership to strengthen on-going reforms in the energy sector to improve productivity and add value to the economy.
According to a statement by Janet McDickson, Head, Media, BPP, the Director General of BPP, Mamman Ahmadu, made this known on Tuesday, while welcoming the AfDB team to his office.
The AfDB team was led by Dr Patrick Owuori, the Regional Procurement Coordinator.
Mamman said that emphasis should be placed on quality, while implementing the much needed energy sector reform, adding that government projects needed to be long-lasting and sustainable.
He said that sufficient rules should be made on how the money the organisation was putting on the table for the project was to be expended.
The director general said that BPP was working assiduously to achieve the Public Procurement Act, 2007.
“Procedures and strategies are put in place for spending government funds that will give value for money,” he said.
According to him, BPP was also in collaboration with the World Bank to put in place an e- procurement mechanism for transparency in all procurement processes.
“We are designing a capacity building sector to design customises areas to train procurement officers in skills and knowledge that will match global best practices,’’ he said.
Mamman said that the BPP needed more funding to design procurement capacity that could work with the energy sector and all procurements across board.
He, however, said that BPP’s partnership with AfDB would go a long way in enhancing the procurement sector engagement.
The leader of the delegation and Regional Procurement Coordinator, AfDB, Dr Patrick Owuori said, the new government of President Bola Tinubu, in the bid to get the power sector improve its services, had requested AfDB to develop and redesign a template to improve the energy sector.
Owuori said that the task would take them between six and nine months to redesign.
He said that the entire project would cost $1billion, with the timeline between 2023-2024.(NAN)
Nigeria has witnessed yet another collapse of the power grid resulting in nationwide blackout.
Electricity supply plummeted from a high of 3,594.60 megawatts (MW) around 1:00 a.m. to an alarming 42.7MW on Tuesday, 19th September, 2023.
As of mid-day today, the only operational power plant on the grid was the Delta Power plant, generating 41.
00MW, while Afam contributed a mere 1. 7MW.This occurrence follows closely on the heels of two recent grid collapses in just over a 12-hour period, plunging the nation into complete darkness.
Last week Wednesday, Nairametrics reported the collapse of the nation’s electricity grid throwing the country into a blackout.
The Minister of Power attributed the collapse of the grid to a fire outbreak at the Kainji/Jebba station.
ADAS Programmes Set to Establish Digital Structure, Database for Farmers, Farmlands
ShareFrom Yagana Ali, Yola The Adamawa State Agribusiness Support Programme ADAS-P has concluded arrangements to establish standard & digital structure/database...
Absence of Diplomacy Responsible for Secessionist Agitations in Nigeria – INM
ShareFrom Marcel Duru, Owerri Igbo National Movement, a sociopolitical pressure group, has said that absence of diplomacy is responsible for...
N20m Bounty on Kidnappers: Wike Fulfills Promise to FCT Police Command
ShareBy Laide Akinboade, Abuja The Commissioner of Police, FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh, expresses heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the...
Presidential Amnesty: Bank Accepts Responsibility for Stipends Delay
ShareFrom Mike Tayese, Yenagoa One of the Bank offering services to the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has explained the reason...
Enugu State Justice Reform Team Commends Mbah, Calls for Enhance Justice System
ShareFrom Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu The Enugu State Justice Reform Team (ESJRT) has commended the administration of Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah...
IDidn’t Abandon Mandate – LP Candidate
ShareFrom Marcel Duru, Owerri The Labour Party Candidate in the 2023 general elections for Mbaitoli-Ikeduru Federal Constituency, Rt Hon Uche...
Deliberate Litigations Stall Efforts to Resolve PDP’s Leadership Challenges – BoT
ShareBy Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja The Board of Trustee (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the solutions...
Nigeria to Deepen Military Relations with Tanzania – Defence Perm Sec
ShareBy Tony Obiechina, Abuja The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar kana, mni has said that the Nigerian...
Abiodun Donates 25 Patrol Vehicles to Police as CP Says Ogun Remains Most Peaceful State
ShareFrom Kunle Idowu, Abeokuta Ogun State Government yesterday donated 25 patrol vehicles to the state police command just as it...
Federation Account Garners N7trn Revenue in Six Months – RMAFC
ShareBy Tony Obiechina, Abuja Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) yesterday disclosed that a total sum of N7.31 trillion...