Power Sector And Other Related News Stories For Thursday May 25th 2023
Agora Report Calls for Continuation, Optimization of Buhari’s Power Sector Policies
Agora Policy, an Abuja-based think-tank, has called for the continuation and optimization of the power sector recovery plan put in place by the outgoing Muhammadu Buhari administration.
In a brief on the power sector released yesterday, the think-tank called on the incoming administration to prioritize solving the interface issues and challenges across the entire power sector value chain.
It stressed that this ranges from natural gas-to-electricity interface, generation-to-transmission interface to transmission-to-distribution as well as building on the current initiatives and projects of the Buhari government, with the objective to optimize the value-for-money outcomes of a number of the interventions.
Blackout in Abeokuta as Nine Power Transmission Towers Collapse
Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, has been thrown into darkness with the collapse of nine transmission towers caused by the activities of vandals, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said,
A statement on Wednesday by TCN spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, said tower 56 to tower 65 along the Papalanto/Abeokuta 132 kilovolts (kV) transmission line collapsed, cutting off bulk power delivery from Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
According Mbah, the towers located in the Obafemi Owode area of Ogun State were all massively vandalized, leading to their collapse.
https://www.ripplesnigeria.com/blackout-in-abeokuta-as-nine-power-transmission-towers-collapse/
Stakeholders Demand Re-evaluation of Power Sector Privatization
Stakeholders have called for the re-evaluation of the power sector privatization arrangement, which according to them has not yielded the expected results.
The Federal Government in 2013 unbundled the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, (PHCN), and sold 18 utility firms to private investors resulting in six generation companies (GenCos) and 11 distribution companies (DisCos).
The government had partially privatized the sector to promote a competitive market intended to improve management and efficiency, attract private investment, increase generation, and provide a reliable and cost-efficient power supply.
https://businessday.ng/news/article/stakeholders-demand-re-evaluation-of-power-sector-privatisation/
Setting Power Sector Agenda For The Incoming Administration
I have read a number of write-ups, trying to set agenda for the new administration of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but many of them have fallen short of addressing the major issues facing the power sector.
While it must be said clearly that President Muhammadu Buhari has built on the progress of the power sector, there is also the need to build and consolidate on the successes, and review a couple of decisions here and there.
https://leadership.ng/setting-power-sector-agenda-for-the-incoming-administration/
Tinubu Govt Advised to Establish Energy Ministry
The Society of Technology and Energy Professionals, has urged the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to create a Ministry of Energy and appoint an expert to pilot its affairs,
The professionals said the energy ministry would assist Nigeria to solve its energy problems and improve energy investments, funding, storage and infrastructure.
The President of STEP, Chimeremeze Enwere, gave this advice in a congratulatory message to Tinubu, after the first inaugural meeting of the Council for Registration of Technology and Energy Professionals in Port Harcourt.
https://punchng.com/power-crisis-tinubu-govt-advised-to-establish-energy-ministry/
Bureaucracy, Lack of Co-operation, Others Scuttle Delivery of 25,000MW
BUREAUCRACY, lack of cooperation and other factors have been identified as reasons militating against the release or clearing of eight power transformers meant for Nigeria’s Presidential Power Initiative, PPI, at Apapa port in Lagos.
This is even as Nigeria’s average power generation dropped month-on-month, MoM, by 7 per cent to 4,208.6 megawatts, MW, in April 2023, from 4,528.5MW in the preceding month of March 2023, according to the computation of data obtained by Vanguard from the Nigeria Electricity System Operator, a semi-autonomous unit under the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN.
Labour to Buhari: Sign Energy Commission Bill Before Handover
ORGANISED Labour under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Energy Commission of Nigeria Amendment Bill, 2022 before handing over to the incoming administration on May 29, 2023.
In a statement by its President, Festus Osifo and General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, the association said the appeal was a sequel to the negligence of the Bill which was transmitted to the Office of the President since November 28, 2022.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/05/labour-to-buhari-sign-energy-commission-bill-before-handover/
FG Approves Power Contracts Worth N281bn in Daura, Others
The Federal Executive Council, on Wednesday, in Abuja, approved various contracts worth N281.73 billion to boost power generation and distribution in various parts of the country, including Daura, Katsina State, the hometown of the outgoing President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
The projects to be implemented in Katsina, Kano, Benin, Enugu, amongst others, included foreign and local components worth $591.83 million (N272.83 billion) and N8.9 billion, respectively.
https://punchng.com/fg-approves-power-contracts-worth-n281bn-in-daura-others/
