Power Sector And Other Related News Stories For Thursday October 19th 2023
Ex-Minister of Power Reveals Cabal Sabotaging Stable Power Supply in Nigeria
A former Minister of Power, Barth Nnaji, has alleged that diesel suppliers and generator dealers are sabotaging efforts for Nigerians to enjoy regular power supply.
Mr Nnaji, a professor, made this known while featuring on a radio programme, captioned: “The South East Political Roundtable” by Flo FM, Umuahia on Wednesday.
The former minister said the endless breakdown of the national grid had remained a significant concern among Nigerians.
According to him, this is despite the Federal Government’s claim of spending N7 trillion as direct interventions in the power sector, even after privatising the electricity generation and distribution arms of the industry since November 2013.
Electricity Woes Persist as Nigerians Pay N686.18b For Darkness
Despite dismal electricity supply averaging a daily load offtake of 3,200 megawatts, the Federal Government and end users, in the first six months of 2023, spent about N686.18 billion on subsidy or bill payment.
Given indications that electricity subsidy, which is increasing by N135 billion, quarterly, could push the 2023 total to N441 billion, the government has paid, at least, N171 billion as subsidies in the last six months.
This came as end users paid N515.18 billion under a Service Based Tariff (SBT), where market players woefully failed to improve supply to 5,000 megawatts, in accordance with a contract by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
https://guardian.ng/news/electricity-woes-persist-as-nigerians-pay-n686-18b-for-darkness/
Nigerians Billed N1.18tn By Discos, Paid N841bn as Electricity Tariff in 2022
Despite the huge power undersupply challenge, Nigerians managed to pay N841 billion out of the total of N1.18 trillion tariff billed by the electricity Distribution Companies (Disco) in 2022, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed.
In its ‘2022 Annual Reports and Accounts’, the power sector regulator noted that the figure represented 71.02 per cent of the entire sum billed by the Discos to their customers in the year under review.
Nigeria, a country of over 200 million people still relies on between 3,500mw to 4,500mw daily, to power the homes and businesses of its citizens, despite sinking over N5 trillion into the sector since its partial privatisation in 2013.
Power Distributors Reject 114.53 MW/h in Q2 2023, Reveals NERC Report
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that power distributors grappled with a substantial average load rejection in the second quarter of 2023, despite the nation’s persistently low power supply. According to NERC’s latest report for the 2023 Second Quarter, the power distributors declined an average of 114.53 megawatt-hours per hour of electricity during this period.
In addition to the load rejection, the report also highlighted that power distributors managed to install 178,864 new meters for consumers during the same quarter.
FG Partners ENGIE, Cross Boundary to Power 15 Communities
The Federal Government through the Rural Electrification Agency in partnership with ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria, and a subsidiary of Cross Boundary Access, Cross Boundary Energy Access Assets Nigeria Limited, is set to bring clean and stable electricity to 15 rural communities spread across Nigeria.
According to a press statement by REA on Wednesday, the public-private partnership agreement, which is a portfolio of mini-grids, will be constructed to connect hundreds of households and micro-businesses in underserved and unserved rural communities.
This initiative, the Agency said reflects the commitment of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration to enhance power supply and increase access to reliable electricity for these communities.
https://punchng.com/fg-partners-engie-crossboundary-to-power-15-communities/
Stakeholders Chart path for Nigeria’s Sustainable Energy Future
Stakeholders have emphasised the need to forge a path towards a brighter and more sustainable energy future for the oil and gas sector, as well as the nation.
Gathered at a three-day energy and labour summit, organised by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), in Abuja, the stakeholders said that a significant shift in the landscape of the energy sector in the country, marked by divestment actions of companies, necessitated a collective reflection on the implications for the industry, nation and people
