Power Sector News and Other Related News Stories For Monday September 26th 2022
Private Partnership Key to Achieving Decarbonised, Decentralised Electricity Access ― AEDC
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) has stressed the need for private partnerships to achieve decentralised, decarbonised and digitalised electricity access.
It made the call at the just concluded Nigeria Energy Conference themed: “Affordable, Reliable and Sustainable Energy through Collaboration” it co-sponsored, held in Lagos.
In a statement issued by the Chief Marketing Officer (AEDC), Mr Donald Etim, the Company noted that these collaborative options could be in form of Mini-Grid and Distributed Energy Systems (DES) for unserved and underserved customers/clusters, sub-franchising of Clusters/Network Assets and digitalisation of key functions/operations, to drive efficiency.
“We acknowledge as a utility the increasing need to decentralise, decarbonise and digitalise electricity access, thus the need for collaboration with the private sector to attract requisite investments for the needed turnaround,” it said.
In view of this, the Company stressed the importance of traditional electric utilities which have over the years, played significant role in addressing the energy access challenges.
Nigeria’s 11 Discos Generated N210 Billion in Q4 2021
Nigeria’s 11 Electricity distribution companies generated N210.17 billion in combined revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021, the quarterly report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) shows.
The report, released Thursday, showed that the power firms realised the amount out of N303.11 billion they projected for that quarter.
The amount is N16.67 billion higher than the turnover for the preceding quarter when a revenue N193.5 of billion.
“The total billing by DisCos to customers in 2021/Q4 increased 11.03 per cent from N273.00 billion recorded in 2021/Q3 while the revenue collected by DisCos in 2020/Q4 rose by 8.60 per cent recorded in 2021/Q3 – this indicates a further reduction in collection efficiency in 2021/Q4 relative to 2021/Q3,” the document said.
Ikeja Disco accounted for the biggest revenue at N42.5 billion, a N3 billion jump over the Q2 revenue of N39.5 billion.
FG Plans to Sell Electricity Transmission Company
The Federal Government is currently gearing up to put the Transmission Company of Nigeria, up for sale, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.
The fresh move comes on the heels of stalled negotiations between the Federal Government and the National Union of Electricity Employees as the latter threatens to shut down the economy.
A source close to the matter, on Thursday, told The PUNCH, on condition of anonymity, that talks to resolve pending disputes between the workers and the Federal Government had hit the rocks, and was “currently not yielding the desired results.”
“The Federal Government is quietly negotiating with buyers to sell the TCN. The process will be announced soon,” the source had said.
The workers have, for the second time, threatened to shut down the national grid over unmet demands by the Federal Government.
According to the Zonal Organising Secretary, North-West, NUEE, Comrade Dukat Ayuba, while briefing newsmen in Kaduna on Thursday, explained that although negotiation was still ongoing, the group would embark on a fresh strike.
https://punchng.com/fg-plans-to-sell-electricity-transmission-company/
No Plan to Sell Transmission Company Of Nigeria
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has dismissed a story doing the rounds that the Federal Government was putting the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) up for sale.
“The news is completely false in all its ramifications,’’ Head of Public Communications at the bureau, Mr Chidi Ibeh, stated in Abuja on Sunday.
“The story is a mere fabrication by mischief makers aimed at creating room for another needless strike by electricity workers.
“The actions of the Federal Government in the power sector are guided by well-articulated policy documents and extant legislations,’’ he stated.
The Federal Government approved the Nigerian Electric Power Policy document in 2001. It formed the basis for the enactment of the Nigerian Electricity Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) 2005.
https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2022/09/26/no-plan-to-sell-transmission-company-of-nigeria-bpe/
Eko Disco: Haunted by The Ghost of NEPA
Two weeks ago, the management of Eko Distribution Company organised a town hall meeting to douse the simmering anger of its teeming customers in the Lagos Island District comprising Ikoyi, Lagos Island and Victoria Island over what has become a culture of shoddy performance.
It was a meeting where the aggrieved customers unleashed their anger over a spate of deteriorating service from the distribution firm as the embattled power distribution company launched into a barrage of excuses for keeping the affected areas in darkness for one week.
THISDAY investigation showed that Lekki and its environs were thrown into darkness for over a week, a development which forced the management of EKDC to organise the town hall meeting.
Businesses in the affected areas are already complaining over additional costs being expended on alternative sources of energy even as members of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) are said to have spent N425 billion on other energy sources such as gas, low-pour fuel oil, diesel and petrol between 2017 and 2021. This does not include manufacturers’ expenditure on power coming from electricity distribution companies, popularly known as DisCos.
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/09/25/eko-disco-haunted-by-the-ghost-of-nepa/
Renewable Energy The Right Path to Go — Esenwah, D.Light Nigeria MD
The Nigerian power sector has suffered several setbacks due to challenges of policy enforcement, Vandalism, corruption, sabotage among others. In this interview, Mr. Kenneth Esenwah the Managing Director of d.light Nigeria, a renewable Solar energy company speaks on the need for Nigerians to reconsider renewable energy as a better alternative to boost Africa’s largest economy. Excerpts:
Nigeria is a major exporter of crude oil and with vast deposits of natural gas, but still suffers erratic power supply, what in your opinion is responsible?
It is simply an irony that the continent’s largest oil producer with the largest proven natural gas reserve, and one of the brightest and best human resource talent bases in the world is still grappling with erratic power supply.
The Nigerian power sector experiences many broad challenges related to electricity policy enforcement, regulatory uncertainty, gas supply, transmission system constraints, and major power sector planning shortfalls that have kept the sector from reaching commercial viability.
Nigeria Energy Transition Plan Should Not Be Politicised – APWEN
The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has said that the Nigerian Energy Transition Plan can work with professionalism and not politicking.
The Nigeria Energy Transition Plan aspires to provide universal access to electricity, and transition to cleaner energy sources. The plan focuses on five critical energy sectors, which include power, cooking, oil and gas, transport and industry.
The association, in a communiqué issued at the end of its National Conference and Annual General Meeting held in Abuja, noted that the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan should be an enabler to addressing energy sufficiency.
The APWEN president, Engineer Elizabeth Eterigho, who read the communiqué, said the conference recommended the creation of over 18 million jobs to achieve the energy transition of the government.
She stressed the need for the active involvement and participation of women engineers in the decade of Gas Initiative
https://thenationonlineng.net/nigeria-energy-transition-plan-should-not-be-politicised-apwen/
Northern Govs to Build Off Grid Solar Plants – El-Rufai
Governor Nasir El-Rufai has disclosed that the Northern States Governors’ Forum has incorporated a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to build 100MW solar plants across the 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
El-Rufai further disclosed that the SPV will have an initial total capacity of 2,000MW, that may be expanded to 4,000MW.
The governor added that Kaduna state has already provided the land for its own 100MW solar farm to be developed under this initiative, in addition to 10 other northern states.
According to El-Rufai, these 2,000MW are expected to be mostly off-grid to avoid over-burdening Nigeria’s perennially national weak transmission network.
El-Rufai who spoke on Nigeria’s power sector at the 9th edition of the Nigeria Energy Conference held in Lagos on Wednesday, disclosed that Kaduna, Lagos and Edo states are drafting legislation for a state electricity regulator.
https://leadership.ng/electricity-northern-govs-to-build-off-grid-solar-plants-el-rufai/
El-Rufai Advocates 3-Prong Approach to Solving Nigeria’s Electricity Crisis
The Governor stated this at the 9th edition of the Nigeria Energy Exhibition and Conference held in Lagos at the weekend. El-Rufai said the Nigeria Governors Forum believes that the solution to our enduring electricity supply deficits lies in a three-way collaboration which involves the Federal Government, State Government, and Private sector.
He explained that Nigeria requires for its growth and development, the delivery of affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for homes and businesses, adding that the expansion of generation, transmission, and distribution capacity in the country needs a sound regulated environment that is market driven.
According to him, the state of the power sector retraces the hoops that informed the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) that was passed in 2005.
He added that the Act provides for competitive electricity with a strong regulatory oversight role of the Federal Government.
Ecoflow’s Smart Home Solutions to Mitigate Nigeria’s Electricity Crisis
It defies logic that the world’s most populous Black nation and one of the world’s biggest exporters of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) has spent the better part of the last six decades struggling to generate enough electricity to keep the lights on, but that is Nigeria’s current reality. Since the start of 2022, there have been countless collapses of the national grid such that any month without grid collapse is seen as an act of God.
As is often the case, the situation is far more dire than the various drivers would have you believe. Energy analysts and experts have decried darkness all over the land and warned that no amount of optics and PR could whitewash our power problems.
In recent times, the rise and spread of solar as an alternative supply have generated a lot of buzz and conversation. Many are sceptical, but as with new technologies and innovation, there have been improvements, and now solar, and home battery storage are seen as the future for energy management. This gives control back to individual households enabling the homeowner to store, use and manage their electricity usage as never before.
https://guardian.ng/features/ecoflows-smart-home-solutions-to-mitigate-nigerias-electricity-crisis/
ECOWAS Regulators to Meet in Ghana Over Regional Electricity Market
Regulators and operators of electricity in West Africa will meet in Accra to review some developments in the regional market.
The three-day meeting will start on Monday, September 26 and end on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, a statement issued by the Department of Communication, ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) said.
With the imminent launch of the second phase of the regional electricity market, ERERA is expected to put in place the enabling regulatory framework which will help in fast-tracking the development of the regional electricity market.
The experts would, among others, consider the Detailed Rules and Procedures for Market Surveillance as a guide to provide transparent procedures and processes to monitor the regional electricity market.
The Market Surveillance Rules would specify the roles to be played by national regulatory authorities, Transmission Service Operators and System and Market Operators.
This is to ease effective monitoring of the market and prevent abuse and distortions and sanction defaulters, the statement noted.
