Power Sector And Other Related News Stories For Thursday August 3rd 2023
Nigeria Cuts Power Supply, ECOWAS Vows to Confront Junta
Power supply from Nigeria to the Republic of Niger was stopped on Wednesday, as sanctions against the neighbouring country by the Economic Community of West African States increases.
On Sunday, ECOWAS, led by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, decided on sanctions against the military personnel in Niger who toppled President-elect Mohamed Bazoum’last week.
On July 26, officers of the Presidential Guard arrested Bazoum and declared him deposed.
In addition to a one-week ultimatum to restore constitutional order and the suspension of financial transactions with Niger, ECOWAS decreed the freezing of “all service transactions, including energy transactions.”
https://punchng.com/niger-nigeria-cuts-power-supply-ecowas-vows-to-confront-junta/
Nigeria Electricity Market Operators Set to Review Performance
The Nigerian electricity market operators on Tuesday announced plans to review the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) performance in the country.
Stephen Ogaji, the chairman of the NESI market participants and stakeholders roundtable (NMPSR) planning committee, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
The NESI is primarily made up of the Generation Companies (GenCos), the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Distribution Companies (DisCos), and the consumers.
Implementation Of Electricity Act’ll Reduce Pressure On Power Sector –Ikhariale
There is this back and forth on whether there should be increase in electricity tariff or not. As an expert in the field, a former Commissioner for Energy and ex-chairman, House Committee on Energy, what is your take on the issue?
We have a challenge in this country. Once an issue comes up and one person uses a language, it becomes a language for all. At some point, what you hear on daily basis is that government has no business doing business. So, government has no business doing business became a slogan, and that translated and gave impetus to people who advocated very strongly for the privatization of the electricity sector in Nigeria.
NERC Approves Licenses for Ekiti IPP to Generate Electricity
The National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has granted the embedded generation license to the Ekiti Independent Power Project (IPP) Limited situated in the state capital, Ado Ekiti.
Mobolaji Aluko, a professor and special advisor to the state governor on infrastructure and public utilities, made this known while featuring on a live current affairs television program to review the state of utilities in Ekiti.
“We are now at the last leg of the development and commissioning of the Independent power plant in the State, having received the license”.
NERC also granted an independent electricity distribution license to Olokiti power distribution Limited, also in Ado Ekiti.
Fixing Africa’s Electricity Woes Needs More Than Just Power
Sub-Saharan Africa trails the world when it comes to access to electricity. It needs to fix more than its power supply issues to get the continent electrified.
With 567 million people without access to electricity, sub-Saharan Africa is the least electrified region in the world. This means around half of people on the continent can’t flick on a light to do homework, turn on a fan to cool themselves or charge their cellphones to order more fertilizer.
“It is really pathetic that sub-Saharan Africa has been left behind,” said Abubakar Sambo, a former director general of Nigeria’s Energy Commission, who added that other regions, such as Asia and the Middle East, are approaching near-universal electricity access.
Access to electricity on the continent also isn’t socially inclusive, he told DW. More than four out of five people living in rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa were without it in 2021.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202308030008.html
NERC: Int’l Electricity Customers Failed to Pay $16.11m Bill
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) yesterday said none of the international customers paid anything from the $ 16.11 million outstanding bills in the first quarter of 2023 (Q1 2023).
This was contained in its quarterly report, which The Nation obtained yesterday.
NERC said: “Remittance by Special and Cross-border Customers: None of the under-listed international customers made any payment against the cumulative $16.11 million invoice issued to them in 2023/Q1.”
https://thenationonlineng.net/nerc-intl-electricity-customers-failed-to-pay-16-11m-bill/
