Power Sector And Other Related News Stories For Wednesday March 22nd 2023
PHED Electrifies Komkom After Two-Year Blackout
The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) has reconnected Komkom in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State to the national grid after two years of blackout.The PHED Managing Director, Dr Benson Uwheru, said this while inaugurating a rehabilitated 33kv Injection Substation in Komkom on Monday.The substation was shut down in April 2021 over alleged assault of PHED officials and failure of the community to pay electricity bills running into billions.The residents of the community at the time argued that electricity ought to be free for them as the community hosted the Afam Power Plant.
https://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2023/03/22/phed-electrifies-komkom-after-two-year-blackout/
Lagos Eyes 1GW by 2030 on New Law – Sanwo-Olu
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State, has said the bill signed by President Muhammadu Buhari granting states autonomy in the electricity market will strengthen plans to install 1 gigawatt of solar energy by 2030 and increase access to electricity, investments and job opportunities.
Sanwo-Olu said this on his Twitter handle Tuesday, congratulating the president on the new development. “A few days ago, President Muhammadu Buhari signed bills granting states more autonomy in key areas like electricity, railways, and the judiciary, empowering Lagos to take charge of our growth. Thank you, Mr President,” he said.
https://businessday.ng/big-read/article/lagos-eyes-1gw-by-2030-on-new-law-sanwo-olu/
Lagos Power Plan Sets Blueprint for Others
The Lagos Electricity Market plan of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s government seeks to provide a cheaper, cleaner alternative to inadequate grid power and could speed up industrialisation of the state. Analysts say other states wishing to set up their own power markets can model on it.
Nigeria’s commercial capital currently generates an estimated 15,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity through diesel generators but a mix of gas-sourced power with off-grid solutions means that the Lagos Electricity Market plan could potentially double the size of the state’s economy.
https://businessday.ng/big-read/article/lagos-power-plan-sets-blueprint-for-others/
What Nigeria Can Learn from Zambia’s Electricity Sector
Electricity supply is one of the predominant development challenges in Nigeria. The sector has struggled for over 93 years since the first utility electricity was established, with little success recorded. Though the giant of Africa, Nigeria seems to have taken the back seat among other African nations, with twelve (12) countries, including Ghana, Gabon, and Senegal topping the chart regarding access to electricity above 80%.
More surprisingly, Zambia, with its 58% access to electricity (as of July 2021), recently announced an end to power rationing in the country, as the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) assured households and companies of 24-hour supply without disruptions.
https://theelectricityhub.com/what-nigeria-can-learn-from-zambias-electricity-sector/
Stakeholders to Provide Solar Mini-grid Electricity to Address Pipeline Vandalism
Stakeholders have expressed commitment to provide Solar Mini-Grid Electricity to some communities without electricity in the Niger Delta to tackle pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.
The Executive Director, Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), an NGO, Mr Dumnamene Fyneface, said this in a telephone interview on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in Abuja.
He said that YEAC-Nigeria and YEAC-UK Ltd engaged NXT GRID Netherlands and its Nigeria subsidiary to develop the project.
According to him, the project will commence from Umuolu community, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of the state, and will be extended to other communities.
Flexible Power Technologies Will Make Africa’s Energy Leapfrogging a Reality
There has been much discussion about Africa’s ability to ‘leapfrog’ the way power systems have been built in the western world. For over a century, traditional power systems have been based on centralised power generation, with a limited number of large thermal power plants providing baseload electricity through a massive transmission network. This way to generate power is however coming to an end: the climate emergency is calling for a 180-degrees paradigm shift in which renewables replace thermal power plants as the baseload source of energy.
Over 1GWh of BESS Projects to Commence in Queensland
Battery storage projects with at least 1GWh of capacity have been proposed or progressed in Australia by Synergy, SkyLab and the Queensland government. The Queensland government said a site had been chosen in Emerald, Central Queensland, for a 4MW/8MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project yesterday (20 March). The announcement said the town is home to nearly 2,000 home solar systems, and the BESS will allow the capture of that renewable energy and drive down bills.
Construction has also started on a 50MW BESS project near Gracemere, also in Queensland, though the government did not provide a commercial operation date (COD) for either. State-owned Ergon Energy will own the 4MW/8MWh project.
https://theelectricityhub.com/over-1gwh-of-bess-projects-to-commence-in-queensland/
