Power Sector News And Other Related Stories For Monday 15th August 2022
How TCN’s 624MW Network Will Boost Supply to FCT
With several light industries and huge housing estates springing up across the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has accelerated the execution of its plan that would boost electricity transmission network in Abuja by 624 Megawatts.
The plan which has been in the making since 2018 gained traction under the management of Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, TCN Managing Director/CEO, is expected on completion to address a 20-year energy demand index in the nation’s capital.
The project, Abuja Feeding Scheme, which attracted funding support from the French Development Agency, AFD, would improve power supply to industries, small businesses, support modern agriculture and residential areas of the city.
According to TCN, the Abuja Feeding Scheme “is a vision that is no longer on paper but has its footprints practically at five major sites within Abuja with key components to be ready this year”.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/08/electricity-how-tcns-624mw-network-will-boost-supply-to-fct/
NERC, BPE Must Respect Court Injunction in Favour Of BEDC – CDHR
Concerned over dilemma of electricity consumers in the going dispute between power sector operators, Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), has urged Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to obey court injunction restraining taking over of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) Board.
BEDC Electricity Plc is one of the distribution companies handling power supplies to consumers in Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states.
CDHR national President, Comrade, (Dr) Kehinde Prince Taiga, said the appeal had become imperative in the interest of electricity customers in the affected states who are now suffering the consequences of the illegal action by the regulatory bodies, as they have been thrown into confusion on who to officially deal with on issues of electricity supplies in their areas.
Making the stand of the body known at a Press Conference held in Warri, weekend, the Rights group emphasized the need for all the parties involved to maintain status quo based on the interim court injunction, depending the determination of a substantive suit before a competent court of jurisdiction presently hearing the case.
Nigeria Lost Over $1.9m in 5 Days Due to Disruption of Gas Supply to Ossiomo Power – Gov Obaseki
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said over $1.9million has been lost in the last five days as a result of the disruption of gas supply to the Ossiomo Power Plant in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state.
The Ossiomo Power project is a brainchild of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led state government to make the state self-sustaining in power supply.
The 95MW facility was birthed through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Ossiomo Power Company and powers government offices and hospitals, as well as streetlights in Benin metropolis.
Emotan Gardens Estate, Edo Tech Park, Edo Creative Hub, among others, all enjoy 22-24 hours of stable electricity supply daily. The power is being extended to the Edo Enterprise and Industrial Park to spur industrialization.
Power Supply and The Private Sector
The epileptic nature of power supply does not only make Nigeria one of the harshest environments to do business but also render the country less competitive. That has for years been a singsong of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) whose members now bemoan poor power supply and high cost of diesel as impacting negatively on their operations. The situation is compounded by the drastic reduction in gas supply to businesses and organisations through the Escravos Lagos Pipeline (ELPs) which has led to many job cuts.
As things stand, the promise that the reforms in the power sector would lay a solid foundation for sustainable power generation and service efficiency and would lead to increased access to electricity, engender private sector investments, improve infrastructure as well as create employment for the growing population of jobless Nigerians, has become a mirage. Major cities across the country, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), last week Sunday experienced a total blackout, following another collapse of the national grid. But that has become the new normal. From Kano to Calabar, Sokoto to Ibadan, indeed across the country, several days go by without electricity with its resultant effects on socio-economic activities.
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/08/15/power-supply-and-the-private-sector/
Manufacturers, Others Groan Over Inadequate Power Supply as Gas Shortage Hits Businesses in Lagos, Ogun
The operations of manufacturing firms and other businesses in Lagos and Ogun states are currently being threatened following their inability to generate electricity to power their day-to-day activities due to the inadequate supply of gas from marketers, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
Nigeria currently has an electricity deficit of 201,000 megawatts as power generation hovers between 3,500MW and just over 5,000MW.
A new report revealed that the country needs 206,000MW of power to be at par with Qatar and others in electricity supply.
With the chronic supply of electricity by distribution and generation companies, manufacturers and other big businesses and organisations rely on gas to generate power for their operations.
At a price of between N118 and N170 per standard cubic metre, which is equivalent to a litre of diesel currently being sold for N780, gas is cheaper for power generation than diesel.
How States Can Generate, Transmit Own Electricity
Following the seemingly intractable and irreconcilable crisis in the power distribution value chain in Nigeria, the two chambers of the National Assembly on March 1, 2022, passed a bill to allow states generate, transmit and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid.
The “Bill for an Act to alter the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 to allow states generate, transmit and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid; and for related matters,” was presented for debate at both chambers of the parliament.
Ninety senators and 298 members of the House of Representatives voted in support of the bill at the two chambers. But two members of the House of Representatives voted against the proposal.
However, Section 5(b) of the electricity bill stated that the Minister of Power would supervise the operations of the agencies and commissions that may be created from the bill.
https://www.sunnewsonline.com/new-power-bill-how-states-can-generate-transmit-own-electricity/
Oshodi Residents Bemoan Blackout, Urge Reversal of Bills
A group, under the aegis of Concerned Residents of Oshodi-Isolo Council Area (CROICA), has lamented what it described as unfair and unstable electricity supply by Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC).
The concerned residents of Oshodi Isolo Local Government Constituency 1, comprising Oshodi, Alasia, Shogunle, Mafoluku and Ewutuntun communities, stated that they have been in blackout since August 5, 2022.
The blackout, according to them, occurred due to a power surge and fire outbreak that occurred in the sub-station within Oshodi-Isolo Local Council secretariat.
According to a statement signed by the convener of the group, Comrade Ayinde Olawale, the faulty substation transformer is yet to be fixed and has caused the affected communities to be in blackout.
https://guardian.ng/news/oshodi-residents-bemoan-blackout-urge-reversal-of-bills/
Higher Electricity Connection Fees In South Africa?A Good, And Necessary, Next Step
There’s been outrage from some quarters in South Africa about reports that the power utility Eskom and some municipalities intend to increase the connection fee for electricity users who also generate their own power.
A number of commentators – including the executive director of the Presidential Climate Commission – have also criticised the idea even though Eskom has said that no such proposal has been tabled officially.
We take a contrary view, for two main reasons.
Firstly, we believe that grid connection fees are crucial to protect the finances of both Eskom and municipalities. Secondly, they are needed to support the ‘just transition’ to which the South African government and energy experts claim to be committed.
There is a broad consensus that the world needs to move to ‘net-zero’ energy sources to avoid a global warming climate disaster. For South Africa’s coal-based society, this transition will have a major effect on peoples’ livelihoods and standards of living. A ‘just transition’ would distribute the costs, benefits and opportunities fairly.
https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/higher-electricity-connection-fees-in-south-africa/
