NewStats: 3,263,696 , 8,181,051 topics. Date: Saturday, 07 June 2025 at 11:00 AM 36717

Ikeja Electric to cut power for one month
Lagos State is expected to witness more shortfalls in power supply due to the inability of Egbin Power Plant to generate enough electricity in the state.

According to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), due to insufficient gas at Egbin, only two units are fired and these could not generate enough Volt-Ampere Reactive (VARs) to meet up with the voltage requirements in the area hence the manifestation of the low voltage.

It noted that as it stands, Egbin daily average generation is just 350 Megawatts (MW), while the Lagos daily average consumption from the grid in recent times is 1,100 MW.
Besides, Ikeja Electric said that there will be disruption of power supply to certain areas under its network, due to†planned outage resulting from the maintenance work being carried out by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on its transformers at the Ikeja West Transmission Station.

The areas to be affected by the exercise, which commenced on March 6th and end on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, include Ojodu, Magodo, Alausa, Oke-Afa, Bolorunpelu, Egbe, Igando, Shasha, Ipaja, Alimosho, Agege, Egbeda and Abesan.

Others are Ayetoro, Abule-Taylor, Ogba, Ifako, Shomolu, Gbagada, Oworonshoki, Ogudu, Isheri-Olowora, Berger, Anthony, Otta and environs. Spokesperson for Ikeja Electricity, Head, Felix Ofulue, appealed to residents of the affected areas to bear with the company while emphasising on the importance of the maintenance as a necessity for improved power supply and better service delivery.

He further explained that a load-shedding programme to ensure equitable distribution of power supply to the affected areas have been put in place by the company.

Explaining reasons behind the drop in voltage in Lagos area, TCN said in a statement that at least, 800MW has to be imported from other parts of the grid to meet its power demand.

It explained: ìIn all Power Systems, voltage is a localized issue, while voltage may be low at heavily loaded points of the system, it can simultaneously be high at another point where the same system is lightly loaded. (

Under the Nigeria grid, the Operational Procedure stipulates that the acceptable limits of the nominal value of our highest voltage in the grid, which is 330kV ranges between +5 per cent and -15 per cent of the nominal i.e 346.5kV and 280.5kV .

The voltage problem in Lagos is as a result of inadequate generation from Egbin Power Station sequel to gas inadequacy. Egbin, with a capacity of 1,320 MW came into existence to cater for Lagos load, which is a commercial Centre (heavy loaded area) and to simultaneously improve the voltage in that axis of the grid.

Group Leader, Generation at Sahara Power Group, Michael Uzoigwe, said gas, which is abundant in Nigeria and produced in-country is being sold to generation companies in dollars, which he described as unsustainable due to the current exchange rate policy.

He warned that GENCOs and DISCOs cannot break even based on the current price of gas, adding that these companies were also battling with the price of spare parts which are being imported into the country.
ìGas is being sold to generation companies in dollar and these companies cannot break even with the current dollar price couple with the scarcity of foreign exchangeî.

Speaking on the need to observe all safety codes and regulations especially during the rainy season, Ofulue stressed the need for heightened awareness on safety measures during the rainy season is due to the hazard that the mix of electricity and water poses.

He advised of the public to avoid conditions that can compromise their safety around electricity, such as using wet electrical appliances; stepping in puddles of potentially charged water, coming in with exposed electrical wires, among others, as such actions may have fatal results.

He also warned customers to be mindful of streetlights within the Lagos metropolis as fatal cases have been reported in the past where road s unfortunately come in with exposed energized wires connected to the streetlight.

Ofulue called on residents within the company’s network coverage area to also be mindful of snapped power cables and fallen poles, incidents which can occur during heavy rainfall. He said that wherever such incidents occured, residents should call the company’s Customer Care help lines or through the company’s social media handles immediately, while maintaining a safe distance from the point of the accident.

http://www.energywatchng.com/lagos-suffer-shortfall-electricity-supply/

Lamenting over Nigeria’s economic woes, the Chairman of Kaduna Electric Company (KADEC), Alhaji Yusuf Hamisu Abubakar has said that failure by the nation to industrialize is as a result of, among other factors, unreliable and costly access to energy.
Abubakar explained that the failure was more visible in the industrialisation programmes of past governments in the 1970s and early 1980s, particularly as it affected the northern region.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kaduna Electric, made the assertion in a paper titled: “Electricity as an Essential Component for Economic Growth in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects” was delivered on last Saturday night in Kaduna during the farewell dinner organized by Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, industry, mines and agriculture in honour of exhibitors in the just concluded 38th Kaduna International Trade Fair.
Alhaji Abubakar who called for a holistic review of the challenges confronting the participants of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry,
stressed the need for a balance between cost reflective tariff and affordability of electricity in Nigeria.According to him, unless the contending issues of provision of qualitative and reliable supply through the adoption of cost reflective tariff and affordability of electricity by the citizenry, while small and medium enterprises as well as big industrial organisation is urgently addressed, the country’s desire for industrialisation will continue to suffer serious setback.

The KADEC boss maintained that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, (NERC) which is the umpire in the Nigerian Electricity Supply
Industry, (NESI) “tries to strike a balance, albeit unsuccessfully, by adopting the sculpting measure, where distribution licensees were directed to charge less than their cost reflective tariff in the interim hoping that they can be able to charge appropriate tariff later”.

Said Abubakar: “Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), being the regulator for the industry has the mandate to approve tariffs. In an effort to make electricity tariffs more affordable, NERC adopted sculpting of the tariff such that Discos are required to under-recover now (by charging less than the cost reflective tariff) and are allowed to recover in the future. This model, while bringing temporary ease on the retail tariff, comes with attendant challenge of how to manage the huge shortfall resulting from the sculpted tariff.”

http://www.energywatchng.com/high-cost-electricity-slowing-industralization-kaduna-disco/

Ikeja Electric on Tuesday assured its consumers that they would not experience a total blackout during maintenance exercise to be carried out by Transmission Company of Nigeria.

IE had on March 4 announced that there would be an interruption in power supply to some areas within its network from March 6 to April 4.

The Head, Corporate Communications Unit of the company, Mr Felix Ofulue, explained that during the maintenance there would be increased rate of interruption in electricity supply to the affected areas, and no total blackout.

He said that the company had made arrangement for a load-shedding to ensure equitable distribution of power supply to the affected areas.

He said, “We want to assure our consumers within the areas that will be affected by TCN maintenance work that it is not going to be blackout throughout the whole month.

* As Generation drops to 4, 243.50 MW check more generation statistics

“Arrangements have been made to ensure that you are given power supply within the period.

“However, it will not be as regular as you used to have before.

“We assure our consumers that the maintenance work is for better efficiency of power facilities to enhance improved service delivery.”

According to IE, the planned outage is as a result of maintenance work being carried out by TCN on its transformers at the Ikeja West Transmission Station and not a fault of the IE.

It said that the areas to be affected include Ojodu, Magodo, Alausa, Oke-Afa, Bolorunpelu, Egbe, Igando, Shasha, Ipaja, Alimosho, Agege, Egbeda and Abesan.

Others are Ayetoro, Abule-Taylor, Ogba, Ifako, Shomolu, Gbagada, Oworonshoki, Ogudu, Isheri-Olowora, Berger, Anthony, Ota and environs.

http://www.energywatchng.com/no-total-blackout-maintenance-period-ikeja-electric/

Despite losing $15.2 million or N4.724 billion monthly, the management of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), covering Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and parts of Niger, Ekiti and Kogi states, has promised to meter all its customers within five years, as directed by industry regulator, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

The promise comes as the Disco groans under monthly losses arising from a number of factors, including high technical losses, unpaid debts by Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), energy theft, vandalism, foreign exchange and a host of others.

Electricity consumers believe that the issue with estimated or crazy billing would end once the Discos obeyed NERC’s directive to meter all customers, to enable all parties monitor power usage in homes and offices. Many consumers have refused to pay such crazy bills preferring to either rely on alternative power through generators or remain in darkness, a development that is a huge economic burden to all stakeholders.
Speaking with a select group of journalists in Ibadan, the Disco headquarters, IBEDC Managing Director and Chief Executive, John Donnachie, disclosed that the company required between N50 and N60 billion to meter all its customers.

He however warned that metering consumers may not be the Midas touch as being presumed, noting that effective and accurate billing cannot be achieved through metering alone, as eight in every 10 meters installed are tampered with, thus resulting in inaccurate billing and attendant huge losses to the distribution companies.

According to Donnachie, “Metering is not the only solution to effective billing, as for every meter installed, 80 per cent of them are by-ed. What we need is to execute severe sanctions on power thieves and those who vandalise electricity equipment. People are not paying because there are no sanctions.”

Nonetheless, he maintained that IBEDC is making efforts to meter all its customers, by investing huge sums in sub-station upgrades, new billing systems and upgrade of customer care centres and more.

Also contributing, IBEDC Deputy Managing Director, John Ayodele, said parts of the Discos plans include “Correctly capture and effectively manage 100 per cent of our active customer base, which integrates our asset and customer service for tighter control and enhanced service delivery, and meter all customers within five years.”

Others are: implement a verified and robust billing system to enhance transparency and fair billing in order to achieve our aggressive Aggregate Technical, Commercial, and Collections (ATC&C) loss targets; Drive engineering upgrades that focus on enhanced delivery of ‘Quality’ electrification to our Top 100 customers, with tools, systems, equipment upgrade.

Also, efforts are being made to improve our customer service offering by implementing a customer service index and staffing a centralised call centre for focused and management; and employ, train & develop and reward continuous improvement through performance management tools.

On specific achievements in this regard, Ayodeji said: “IBEDC has completed the metering of all identified maximum demand (MD) customers thereby delivering on NERC deadline of February 28th 2017, while 189,339 meters have been installed for MD & Non-MD Customers from November 2013 – January 2017.”

He added that the Disco also embarked on energy audit, replacement of faulty/obsolete meters and metering of customers for higher revenue drive.

However, Donnachie said efforts by IBEDC to improve serve delivery in its areas of jurisdiction are being hampered by the huge monthly losses and associated challenges, noting that Discos are being blamed for all the power issues faced by consumers.

On the losses, the IBEDC boss disclosed that the MDAs have not paid for their electricity consumption for the past three years following the privatisation of the power sector.
He said: “The MDAs debts till date are in excess of N8.2 billion, while MAN is still paying the old rate of N26 instead of the new cost reflective tariff of N104.35/KwH. Also, we have not been able to on the forex losses to consumers, so we have a grand revenue shortfall of over N100.14 billion, and we cannot borrow from any bank.”

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, had promised that the MDAs pay all their outstanding debts, threatening to deduct the accruable from their budgetary allocations upon the reconciliation of the figures with the respective parties.

With regard to MAN, had instituted a court action against the Discos, but recently agreed to an out-of-court settlement. MAN told The Guardian that despite this plethora of challenges, Donnachie is convinced that Nigeria’s electricity sector remains viable, if only all stakeholders will follow the privatisation modules

http://www.energywatchng.com/ibadan-disco-meter-customer-nercs-deadline/

SAPELE— THE Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, yesterday, said despite the poor generation nationwide, power delivery had picked up in Sapele, Delta State, with the residents enjoying more than six hours of electricity daily.

Corporate Affairs Officer, BEDC, Mrs. Esther Okolie, in a statement, said: “In keeping with the resolutions reached at the various stakeholders’ meetings on Sapele power problems, residents of the community and environs now enjoy more than six hours electricity daily with some area having 22 hours notwithstanding the poor generation nationwide, which is hovering between 3000 and 4000MW.

“This achievement also demands that the residents live up to their part of the agreement by payments of both old and new bills by ensuring that what the Resolution Committee agreed on is in place to ensure compliance.

* As Generation rises to 4, 317.60 MW check more generation statistics

“The Resolution Committee is expected to be formed by two persons from each transformer zone, including representation from stakeholders,” it said.

Noting that BEDC was expected to serve all Deltans and not just host communities, BEDC said: “Given the level of power generation, if all power host communities should agitate for 24 hours power, the rest of Nigerians will be in total blackout. National grid supply is for all Nigerians, not just for power generation host community.”

On the protests by Sapele residents, the company said that the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, Delta State Government through the office of the Commissioner of Power and Energy, the Speaker of Delta state House of Assembly had intervened and the issue was being resolved.

http://www.energywatchng.com/power-supply-improves-sapele-environs-bedc/

A private firm, Eta-Zuma Group West Africa Limited, has announced an investment outlay of $6bn to boost Nigeria’s electricity generation by 1,200 Megawatts.

The Chairman of the company, Dr. Innocent Ezuma, made the announcement during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday.

Ezuma, who was represented by Executive Director, Corporate Services, Ambassador Joseph Ayalogu, said the 1,200MW would be generated from coal, which the company is already mining in Kogi State.

He also stated that the company had acquired another licence from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Agency to generate additional 400MW from gas.

Ezuma said 90 per cent of the work on the development stages had been completed and expressed confidence that the remaining agreements would be completed before the year runs out to enable the actual construction of the coal power plant to begin.

According to him, the first phase of the construction for the 400MW plant will take 30 months, adding that the subsequent phases would take lesser time to complete.

The Eta-Zuma boss also announced a N500m Community Development Fund spread across five years for the benefit of the communities that host the company’s coal mine in Kogi State.

Ezuma, whose firm acquired the Jos Steel Complex from the Federal Government in 2006, said the steel complex had not been able to go into production because of lack of guaranteed electricity supply.

To resolve the situation, he added that the company resolved to build a captive power plant that would ensure that the steel complex would get the guaranteed 100MW of electricity it required to be in production.

He said, “We have opened an active mine in Okobo, Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State and currently mine 50,000 metric tonnes of coal per month. We have the capacity to double that as demand increases.

“We are the leading suppliers of quality coal to Nigeria’s industrial end s, including Dangote and Zuma Energy coal-to-power project under development, which will supply 1,200MW of electricity to the grid.”

He added, “The Eta-Zuma Group and its sister-client companies have invested over $300m so far in various projects even though they are still at their development stages. The 1,200MW coal-to-power will require about $6bn to actualise.”

http://www.energywatchng.com/firm-invest-6bn-electricity-generation/

The Federal Ministry of Power has stated that the 11 electricity distribution companies in the country pay for only 24.9 per cent of the electricity allocated to them.

The Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), better known as the Bulk Trader, collects the payment on behalf of the generation stakeholders, leaving a payment shortfall of 75.1 per cent.

In a communiqué issued by the ministry at the weekend, it said the N702 billion payment guarantee to NBET by the federal government effective January 2017 would enable NBET to pay the generation companies, gas suppliers, banks and other partners, pending the improvement of remittances by the Discos to the 100 per cent target.

The communiqué noted that the money NBET collects monthly from the Discos was not enough to pay NBET’s contractual obligation to the Gencos.

According to the communiqué, in recent months the payment by the Discos to NBET was as low as 17 per cent of NBET’s invoice.

“In January 2017, it was 24.9 per cent The Gencos in turn do not pay their gas suppliers, equipment suppliers, banks and other partners what they are contractually bound to pay. The

Discos also do not pay TCN what is contractually due to it for transmitting the energy the Discos sell to consumers. These resulting payment shortfalls and the accumulated debts are increasingly threatening the electricity supply system. They are also undermining the growth of the economy and the electricity sector by discouraging new investors from building new power stations and transmission facilities,” said the communique.

It added that the stakeholders would work with the Discos, to improve the Discos’ payment performance from its current 24.9 per cent level with 100 per cent payment as the target.


* As Generation drops to 4, 149.40 MW check more generation statistics

The communiqué argued that NBET was established to buy electricity in bulk from electricity generating companies licensed to produce electricity.

“The intention was that while the Discos take the time necessary to improve and expand their networks of substations and lines, enumerate and meter their customers, buy additional power directly from Gencos and provide better customer services, the existing and new Gencos could confidently make investments to expand generation with assurance that the bulk buyer would pay them for the electricity they deliver. Government retained owner- ship for the time being of the transmission system used to transmit the electricity from the Gencos to the Discos,” the communiqué added.

The communiqué noted that the Discos have not improved customer services at the pace government and the country expect.

“Some of the reasons for this failure are not the fault of the Discos alone – regulatory and tariff inconsistencies of the past istration, un- expected changes in the foreign exchange market, and lower than expected generation due largely to pipeline vandalism for example, have challenged the Discos’ ability to perform. But much of the failure relates to their inadequate financial and technical capacity and some sharp practices of the Discos in their istration of collections from customers,” said the communique.

The power ministry added that subsequent interventions by the government would seek to strengthen financial transparency and discipline to ensure that all industry revenues are fairly distributed to all market participants and their suppliers according to contractual commitments.

The ministry said the government would also intervene to achieve and exceed the contracted and committed ATC&C loss targets and sustain aggregate collection efficiency above 60 per cent.

http://www.energywatchng.com/discos-pay-paltry-24-electricity-allocation/

Abuja— The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, accused Distribution Companies, DISCOs, and the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, of frustrating stable power supply in the country.

It also stated that the country currently had enough gas to generate up to 4,800 megawatts (MW) of electricity and 6,000 megawatts by the second quarter of 2017.
Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru, stated this at the Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum, organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, SPE, in Abuja.

Baru noted that Nigeria was currently producing an average of 8.0 billion standard cubic feet, scfd, per day of gas, of which 1.3 billion scfd was utilised for domestic consumption; 3.5 billion scfd for export; 2.5 billion scfd for re-injection/fuel gas use, while about 700 million scfd was flared.

He said: “As we speak today, there is enough gas to generate about 4800MW and 6000MW by second quarter 2017 based on our gas supply plan, but the power sector is presently struggling to evacuate 4500MW power due to DISCOs’ incessant rejection of allocated load and transmission line constraints.”

* As Generation drops to 4, 368.00 MW check more generation statistics

Baru disclosed that despite the difficult environment in which it operates, the NNPC was committed to ensuring adequate gas supply to meet Nigeria’s industrial growth.

Also speaking, Mr. Dada Thomas, President, Nigerian Gas Association and Managing Director, Frontier Oil Limited, lamented that the country had not been able to harness its God-given gas resources optimally for domestic use.

According to him, the country is using a little amount of the gas it has, with the bulk of it being used by the power plants within the country’s poorly regulated power value chain that is threatening to bankrupt entity in the chain.

He said: “If we must unlock gas development, we are going to connect the dot of the production location, producers to the consumers and it is going to take a lot of money.
“If we are trying to actualize the gas master plan, we are going to need at least $10 billion.”

He further identified the five top issues bedeviling the gas industry to include insecurity, lack of sanctity of contracts, low pricing, power sector illiquidity and lack of infrastructure. For 40 years, we have been bedeviled by the same problem day in day out. We cannot go on like this.’’

http://www.energywatchng.com/nnpc-accuses-discos-tcn-frustrating-stable-power-supply/

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Investors in the generation companies (GenCos) have warned of an imminent blackout nationwide if the N601 billion debts owed them by consumers through the off-taker, the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) – a Federal Government’s owned public liability company.

The investors spoke yesterday at the Nigeria Power Summit, part of the ongoing Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference (NOG) holding in Abuja.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, Mr. LamuAudu, stated that only 20 percent of the cost of power produced across the supply value chain is being paid for.He noted that foreign exchange (forex) challenge also remains a major bottleneck for power investors as a result fluctuating exchange rates, which was less than N200 to a dollar when the power assets were bought, and currently above N350.

He said: “Virtually all the spare parts used in the power sector are imported and we need foreign exchange to procure them. But, unfortunately, the fluctuating exchange rate has made planning difficult for investors.”

Another worrisome trend in the sector, according to Audu, is the issue of ageing transmission infrastructure, which most time leads to rejection of generated power by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). “This is a major loss on the part of power generation companies. When the generated power is rejected, who bears the loss? I think government should be in a position to pay for this. And going forward, I think TCN should be privatised,” he advised.

Also the Managing Director of Sahara Power, Mr. Kola Adesina, lamented about the paucity of funds for power investors. H e noted that lack of fund remains a stumbling block to the growth of the sector, adding that power sector being a cycle feeds from four sources; gas, generation, transmission and distribution. He said when one leg of the cycle is stifled of fund, all other segments are affected from functioning at optimal level.

According to him, the inability of consumers to pay for power consumed ultimately affects payment to gas producers, GenCos and the transmission company. He also noted that lack of adequate gas supply to the generating companies is also a major issue hindering the smooth operation of the sector, adding that constant attacks on gas infrastructure by agitators remains an issue that government must address for the sector to move forward.

http://www.energywatchng.com/generation-companies-warn-imminent-blackout-n601b-debt/

Efforts by the Federal Government to fast track the development of the Niger Delta appear to be in full swing, as it plans to site a $20 billion gas industrial park in the region through a public-private partnership.

This was made known on Monday by Nigeria’s Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, during a meeting with a group of international investors and developers on the project at the Presidential Villa.

The consortium is made up of fortune 500 companies which include the GSE&C of South Korea, the China Development Bank, Power China and several other global operators from Asia and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle-East.

A statement from the Vice President’s office explained that the project, tagged the Gas Revolution Industrial Park (GRIP), would be located in Ogidigben, Delta State, and is envisaged to be a regional hub for all gas-based industries.

According to the Acting President, the project would cover 2700 hectares with fertiliser, methanol, petrochemicals, and aluminium plants located in the park which has already been designated as a Tax Free Zone by the Federal Government.

He said the government “is committed to the development of the Niger Delta, and the importance of this project is underlined by the presidential attention it is attracting. The presidency is very interested”.

We Are Unwavering

Professor Osinbajo added that the Federal Government takes the project very seriously, just as it is ready to make several other commitments to change the fortune of the oil-producing states.

“We already have a steering committee in place, chaired by the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, and that shows the level of our commitment. We are unwavering.

“We take the project very seriously and glad to see you are committed and ready to make several other commitments. This is a process that we intend to see happen,” he said.

On his part, Dr. Kachikwu expressed confidence that the GRIP would bring the much needed succour to the people of the Niger Delta and the oil-producing states.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the group of investors and developers, Sheik Mohammed Bayo, stated the commitment of the consortium, stressing the importance of the project to solving the Niger Delta crisis.

The development comes against the backdrop of the recent visit by the Acting President to the oil-producing communities, to demonstrate the resolve of the President Muhammadu Buhari led istration to pursue a new vision for the Niger Delta.

http://www.energywatchng.com/fg-activates-20bn-gas-industrial-park-niger-delta/

Ikeja Electric has over 600,000 customers who the company is committed to serve with a New Spirit, New Drive and New Energy. This resolve continues to elicit a ion for service excellence and new thinking on how to empower lives and businesses across the IE network.

Responsibilities

Successful candidates will be expected to work within the power distribution sector with experienced engineers, developing skills and experience in order to become a competent and effective professional Engineer within the Power Sector and provided with challenging job opportunities.
Minimum qualifications

Preferably fresh from the university but certainly with not more than 2 years’ experience, who are highly intelligent, hardworking, having the ability to apply common sense in analyzing and resolving problems and who value integrity more than wealth.

Minimum B.Sc. or, preferably, M.Sc. Degree in Engineering, in one of the following disciplines –Electrical Engineering and Electronics Engineering from reputable Universities with a minimum of 2nd class upper
Must have completed NYSC
Maximum age of 26 years as of December 2016

Closing Date 2nd March, 2017

APPLY HERE

The Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, (NBET) underpays power generation companies (GenCos) by over 70 per cent (about N30billion) for their services, thereby compounding their financial woes, The Nation has learnt.

The Executive Secretary, Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), Dr. Joy Ogaji, told The Nation that the best and urgent step the government should take to make the power sector efficient, is to substantially improve liquidity in the sector by paying the debts owed the sector, especially GenCos by government’s ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

She said the government should ensure that debts were paid, stressing that future payments should be made promptly to enable the power sector improve services substantially.

“The government should ensure that there is payment guarantee, no more shortfalls in payment. It is imperative to state here that the investment on generation is at the instance of the off-taker (Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, NBET) a Federal Government’s owned public liability company.

“Due to high market liquidity squeeze, GenCos including the thermal and hydro plants lack the necessary funding for their operations, acquiring spare parts and equipment and meeting other obligations for the power generation stations.

“Market payment statistics shows that on a monthly basis, generation companies’ invoices amount to about N35 billion to N40billion, out of which only about N7billion is paid. The implication is that the debt profile of the GenCos is about N30billion per month with no plans in place to clear these and put a sustainable solution for the sector.

“We have been given unfulfilled promises of ‘government is working out a solution’ without a timeline and fulfillment. We are all on life and could be dead any moment from now, she said.”

For her, what the GenCos are asking for are needed for transparency in market funds and remittance, and declaration of eligible customers to enable them have some form of relief, she said, saying government should give a special concession to the GenCos in sourcing for foreign exchange.

“There is need for full payment of CBN-Nigeria Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility (NEMSF), NBET, Market Operator (MO) and all owing market participants to pay immediately all money owed the GenCos,” adding that a forex stabilisation fund be created to avoid tariff hikes.

“Electricity market should be run as a contract based market with penalties fully enforced,” she said, adding that the cost of gas constitutes about 40 per cent of wholesale electricity tariffs in Nigeria.

The Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, said the illiquidity in the power sector rose from N1 trillion last November to N1.1trillion by this January.

http://www.energywatchng.com/nbet-underpays-gencos-n30b-monthly/

Governor of Taraba State, Arc Darius Ishaku, is unhappy with the delay in the take-off of the Mambilla Hydro Electricity Power project and warned that this attitude could cripple the nation’s hope for stable electricity supply.

Ishaku who spoke recently in Jalingo, when the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Baba Shehuri called on him in Government House, Jalingo, said the apparent silence and non-action on the project by the Federal Government had become worrisome. He said it had become obvious that the current power generation facilities in the country will not meet the nation’s power needs which has continued to grow and expressed surprise that this reality has not jolted the government into action on the Mambilla project. “We have the Mambilla, the biggest facility for power generation in West Africa. Let’s start building the facility now so that in six years when it is completed we will be in a position to boast of 6,000 MWs of electricity power,” he said.

The governor reminded the Federal Government that there was no short cut to the realisation of this project. Those steps that need to be taken must be followed one after the other. He said there were at least seven of such steps which include sensitization, resettlement and compensation of the people to be affected by the project and these preliminary steps will take not less than one year to complete. “We must remove these encumbrances as part of a realistic beginning. There can be no short cut to all of these steps”, he noted.

He assured the Federal Government of the readiness of the Taraba State government and the people for the take-off of the project and advised that the right things must be done from the beginning. “Let the project start. Let’s give Nigerians stable electricity and it does not matter which political party provides it. We are all eager in Taraba State and we will the project as a key partner because it is a great project and it is a Nigerian project”, he noted.

Governor Ishaku also spoke of the plan by his istration to build 5,000 houses through a partnership with foreign investors. It is part of his istration’s welfare package for civil servants. He said henceforth, every new entrant into the civil service of the state would be encouraged to own their own houses through deductions that will be made from their monthly salaries. Such people should be able to move into such apartments after five years of contributions through regular deductions.

Speaking earlier, the Minister who was in the state to unveil 200 housing units built in Jalingo by a private estate developer, said the Federal Government was determined to solve the lingering problem of housing deficit in the country. The Federal Government, he said, was planning 5,000 housing units per state as part of the efforts for end the problem.

Mr Shehuri also informed Governor Ishaku that all paper works concerning the Jalingo-Numan road had been completed and the formal approval of the project would soon be given by the Federal Executive Council.

http://www.energywatchng.com/hopes-stable-electricity-blinks-mambilla-power-project-remains-delayed/

Nigeria is second to India on the list of countries with the highest electricity access deficit with 75 million people compared to India’s 263 million persons.

According to a new World Bank report, other countries on the list of nations with highest electricity access deficit are Ethiopia with 67 million; Bangladesh 62 million; Congo Democratic Republic with 55 million; Tanzania with 40 million; Kenya with 33 million; Uganda with 30 million; Sudan with 25 million; and Myanmar with 25 million people.

According to the report, an energy scorecard released on Monday, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Sudan alone have 116 million people without adequate electricity.

The authors noted that energy access, efficiency and renewables are on the rise in many developing nations, but in places like sub-Saharan Africa, the energy situation is still grim and hundreds of millions remain unconnected.
The report found that 80 per cent of the 111 countries studied have policies for more sustainable energy — meaning energy efficiency, access to energy and use of renewables — with 45 countries at advanced stages of policy-making.According to the report, access is, in part, a financial issue in these countries. In many sub-Saharan Africa countries, people pay more than $500 to connect to the grid, while in another developing country, Bangladesh, the cost is as little as $22.

Senior Director and Head of Energy and Extractives at the World Bank, Riccardo Puliti, said: “Africa has long been the least electrified, and power there cannot keep up with population growth. Those disparities won’t disappear without policies encouraging both private and public investment.”

According to the report, for much of the world, however, renewables are growing fast: 93 per cent of countries have renewable energy targets, and more than three-quarters have ing legislation.

This growth, however, needs more focus. Just 39 per cent of countries have studied how to integrate renewables such as solar and wind power into their current electrical grids, the authors found.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sustainable Energy for All, a sustainable energy initiative launched by the United Nations in 2011, Rachel Kyte, said: “The world is in a race to secure a clean energy transition. The underlying message is that we must go further and faster.”

Besides, Energy economics global lead for the World Bank Group, Vivien Foster, said: “African countries on the whole scored very poorly, with as many as 40 per cent barely beginning policy measures to accelerate access to energy. African countries on the whole scored very poorly.”

http://www.energywatchng.com/75-million-nigerians-lack-access-electricity-world-bank/

OWERRI —The people of Umuasonye in Orji area of Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State have protested the lack of electricity in the area in the last 10 years.

Some leaders of the community spoke in an interview with South East Voice when they led a protest delegation to the Owerri Zonal Office of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC.

They complained that they had written several letters to the EEDC, demanding the restoration of power to them or for discussions on reasons for non-availability of electricity in their area over the years without any meaningful response.

The Chairman of Electricity Committee for Umuasonye, Orji Community, Chief Henry Akor, expressed surprise that the ,EEDC, had not given them any opportunity to interface with the management of the company on the issue, adding that the situation had led to unending protests by the people of the area.
Akor said that the community had completed a power sub-station in the area and had been waiting for the EEDC, to “energize it.”

His words: “My brother, for more than 10 years now; we do not have electricity in our community and that is why we are at the EEDC office. This problem started when it was the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCH, and now EEDC.

“We have been coming to the, EEDC, office and have not received any positive response. Let me tell you, we have a power sub- station in our community and what we just need from the EEDC now is to power it to so it starts functioning.

“We are also worried that since this problem started nobody has listened to us. We are pleading that the people should help us and ask the EEDC to give us electricity instead of this darkness because we are part of Imo state.”

Also speaking, Mr. Chukwuemeka Njoku, said that the of Orji community have remained without electricity for not less than 10 years.

“We have been calming our youths from expressing their anger. Small businesses in our community are experiencing hard times. We are in darkness. We want the EEDC to listen to us because we are human beings. We need electricity to improve our live,” he said.

Other leaders from the community who lamented over the situation said that it has been difficult to iron their clothes just as they complained bitterly over their inability to start small businesses like barbing saloons as a result of high cost of petrol.

Reacting, an official of the Owerri, office of the EEDC, who identified herself as Adaora Nancy, said she was not competent to speak on the issue but promised the Orji community leaders that their message would be delivered to the appropriate department of the EEDC that would handle their matter expeditiously.

http://www.energywatchng.com/10-years-without-electricity-orji-community-seeks-eedc-power/

still on

The Federal Secretariat in Abuja is currently in total electricity blackout.

The complex houses most of the ministries, department and agencies, of the Federal Government.

Activities in the complex have been grounded over a week now due to lack of electricity to power basic equipment in the building.

Sources said the Phase 1 of the Federal Secretariat complex also known as the Secretary of the Government for the Federation building was in darkness due to over N120 millhered that civil servants and some other public officers abandoned the duties in the complex due to the blackout.

Sources said some of the ministers whose offices are located in the building now boycott their offices.

The affected phase of the complex provides accommodation for the Ministries of Women Affairs, Niger Delta Affairs; Labour and Productivity; part of Health and many other government offices.

Also, staff of the offices affected who only come to sign the attendance either use rechargeable lamps or torchlight from their phone to maneuver around the darkness.

It was learnt that the staff of the affected MDAs only report for duty for the purposes of g their attendance , as no work can be done without electricity.

They were mostly at the foyers and verandas of their offices while using either reachable lamps and torchlight from their handsets, when they had to enter the offices.

A credible source at the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) said the decision to disconnect the federal secretariat was taken as part of the company’s debt recovery drive.


http://www.energywatchng.com/federal-secretariat-darkness-n120m-electricity-debt/

still on..

The new interim Managing Director/CEO, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Usman Gur Mohammed, has ordered a partial lift of the suspension of payments in the areas of the company’s operations.

In a circular dated February 10, he directed that the lift on the ban on the following areas: “2016 FGN appropriation, Imprest of outstations, payments of medical and staff salaries, payments of Eurobond, AFD (African Development Bank), ADB loans.”

He directed officers to continue to process and refer to the undersigned on other critical operational matters as they arise.

The circular with ref No: TCN/TCEO/0001/vol 001/2017, that was addressed to the Managing Director of Market Operator (MO) and Managing Director Transmission Service Provider (TSP), was copied all the General Managers of the MO and TSP.

Mohammed had in a letter dated February 3 directed the TCN to temporarily put on hold all payment s of the company with immediate effect.

An official circular distributed to heads of the various departments of the company indicated that he reportedly took this decision the day that the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power Mr. Louis Edozien confirmed him as the new head of the company. Mohammed gave the directive that all payment obligations of the TCN to contractors for capital projects through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Remita payment platform on the Treasury Single (TSA) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

http://www.energywatchng.com/tcns-ceo-lifts-payment-suspension/

The role of the CCTV operator is to monitor the security cameras and ensure the safety and security of people and property within AEDC premises and other facilities.

Responsibilities/Duties:

To operate and monitor all systems within the Control Centre in an efficient manner ensuring that all work is undertaken in compliance with the operating procedures, legislation and the codes of practice.
Assist in obtaining and maintaining the BS 7958:2009.
To liaise with the Police, other agencies and of staff to ensure the appropriate use of the system. To include all evidential records and witness statements to a standard acceptable to the rules of evidence.
To record all events and actions taken in a clear, legible and accurate written format. To provide an efficient and courteous radio and telephone answering service and deal efficiently with all enquiries.
To report equipment failure to the Head Office Area Security Team Lead to maximize operation of the system.
To maintain a secure system for providing data in accordance with the regulations set up by the Council and ensure the security of the control room and equipment is maintained at all times.
To maintain the provision of information required by the Head, Security Services and the Head Office Area Security Team Lead to assist the monitoring of the CCTV system and other security systems in accordance with the regulations set up by the Company and the continuity and issibility of evidential material.

Qualification:

Bachelor’s degree or Higher National
A minimum of 5 years post qualification experience, in relevant field.
hip of a recognized body like Nigerian Institute of Industrial Security an advantage.
Further training, knowledge and skills (Certified Security Specialist) and advantage.

Other Qualifications for all positions:

National Diploma is required.
Bachelor’s degree or Higher National diploma advantage.
Experience as a security operative an added advantage.

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION: THE FOLLOWING RULES APPLY WHEN SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION.

CLOSING DATE
The closing date 2nd of March, 2017 at 5 pm GMT

APPLY HERE

About 16 power turbines generators have in the last one week become functional and pushed up electricity generation from a little above 3,000 megawatts recorded earlier this month to 4,652.70 MW, total energy sent out was 94, 010.10 MWH on February 19, 2017 with no incident of system collapse recorded.

Findings showed that since the 16 turbines of the various power plants across the country began to function, electricity generation had stabilised at over 4,000MW since February 13, 2017 rising to 4, 652.70 MW on February 19.

While officials of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing attributed the development to the recent improvement in gas supply to the power plants, data from the sector obtained by Energywatchng on Monday revealed that since the country crossed the 4,043.7 MW mark on February 13, electricity generation had continue to rise.

Industry data showed that on February 19, three power generation plants, Transcorp, Omotosho I and Olorunsogo I, gained additional turbine functionality, while the average power sent out by the generation companies on the day was 3,917MWhour/hour.

Two days earlier, Afam VI and Olorunsogo I recorded functionality in additional turbines and the average power sent out was put at 3,833MWh/hour.

On February 16, Trancorp Ughelli Power reported that it recorded functionality in 10 of its turbines, while the average power sent out by the Gencos was 3,929MWh/hour.

Similarly, the Alaoji NIPP, Ihovbor NIPP, Okpai and Ibom restored additional turbines to functionality on February 15, and the average power sent out by the generation companies on the day was 3,799MWh/hour.

It should be noted that the quantum of power generated is different from the amount sent out by the Gencos, as some fraction is either lost through line constraints or left as spinning reserves.

The National Control Centre for the power sector had on February 14, 2017 declared that “improvements in domestic gas supply has resulted in lower gas constraints.”

http://www.energywatchng.com/16-power-turbines-now-functional-generation-hits-4652-70-mw/

The role of the Financial Auditor shall include ensuring successful completion of assigned audit engagements, from start to finish, inclusive of preplanning and wrap up activities. He/she shall report to the Principal Manager- Financial Audit. His/her role shall include:

Responsibilities/Duties:

Assessing risks and internal controls by identifying areas of non-compliance; evaluating manual and automated financial processes; identifying process weaknesses and inefficiencies and operational issues.
Verifies assets and liabilities by comparing and analyzing items and collateral to documentation.
Complete audit work papers and memoranda by documenting audit tests and findings.
Provides financial control information by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data and trends.
Conducts assigned audit engagements successfully from beginning to end.
Identifies and communicates issues raised, offering recommended solutions relevant to business and risk.
Ensure audit conclusions are based on a complete understanding of the process, circumstances, and risk.
Develops audit programs and testing procedures relevant to risk and test objectives.
Ensures adherence at all times to all applicable department and professional standards.
Qualification:

Bachelor’s degree in ing and finance with minimum of second class upper division, or Higher National diploma in ing with minimum of Upper Credit.
A minimum of at least 3 years post qualification experience preferably in a reputable audit firm.
A recognized professional qualification (ACCA, ACA, and ANAN)
A good working knowledge of IFRS with certification.
Other Qualifications for all positions:

Integrity and profesionalism
Comunication skills
Proffesional skills for writting audit reports
Self motivation and self initiative
Skills to do analyses and statistics
Proffesional knowledge for interpretation of laws and regulations in force
Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
Ability to use effectively Microsoft Office is vital.
SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION: THE FOLLOWING RULES APPLY WHEN SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION.

Send your application to [email protected] for Financial Auditors.

CLOSING DATE

The closing date is 2nd of March, 2017 at 5 pm GMT.

APPLY HERE

Interesting...

The CEO of Eko Electricity Distribution Plc, Oladele Amoda presented more sides of the issues involved, and the way forward for the Sector.

YOU have performance milestones signed with BPE in November 2013, but things have gone negative to undermine the expectations. Where is Eko Electricity distribution now on this?

When we signed the performance agreement, it was signed by BPE on behalf of the Federal Government. The basic thing, although they are so many, during the first five years is to first reduce aggregate technical commercial and collection (ATC& C) lost trajectory, then to meter all customers, to improve services to customers, to ensure that all our networks are in good shape within the five years, that’s on our side.

On the government side, there are promises like level of power availability, which was 7,000 megawatts but was reduce to around 5,500mw close to 6,000mw at inception. Then cost reflective tariff, cost that will cover your cost among other things.

When we came in, the level of power generated went down. We were getting less than 3000mw, out of the 5,500mw promised. So you can see the volume of power that we are getting was not enough, business is based on volume, the volume of energy.

Volume of energy

It was calculated that when you have this level of power, you will be able to break-even, but when you are having something less, then it affects your revenue, and ability to break-even, and that led to our shortfalls.

Secondly, there was no cost reflective tariff. May be because of political reasons the federal government didn’t allow cost reflective tariff at inception. We struggled until 2016 that they allowed something that looks like a little bit of increase, but then we couldn’t cover the whole thing. They said we should sculpt it (Sculpting means to charge but not the full amount, you charge low amount and recover it over a long period of time).

We had a 10-year charging plan. Before then, they removed the collection factor (ATC&C) the collection part of it, the risk in the collection, they removed it from the tariff, and then put R2. They didn’t allow us to charge the normal rate of R2. In those days government promised subsidy for the R2 customers but those subsidies were never paid.

We see failed promises on both sides, or rather constraints, does it mean that the promises had collapsed?

No, it has not. On monthly basis, we usually hold this power sector stakeholders’ meeting, with the Minister and all the stakeholders, and we use to take it from one section of the country to another. We discussed some of these things there. Government is working out something to take care of the shortfalls, and the National Assembly is also interested in ensuring that the sector is running the way it ought to be because, everybody has realised that without power we cannot develop anything.

We need power for many things, such as small scale industries, even large scale Industries, for social use and all of that. So everybody is putting heads together to ensure that we find solution to what seems to be endemic.

It means some things are being worked out. What are they?

Yes, some things are being worked out. Well, we just had a workshop. Everybody is going back, that is the policy maker which is the Ministry, the regulator which is NERC and National Assembly. You know, from what came out of the workshop, they are putting things together and trying to find solutions to it. Maybe in the form of bond or maybe government is going to subsidise the gas price and intake.

So whatever they can do. Right now if we are to bill the customers the way it should be just for us to break-even, it could be close to N60 per unit and that is the lowest for the DISCOs.

But if government doesn’t want that kind of tariff, they should tell us what they want us to do. This is what it costs to produce and deliver electricity to the customer. If you do not want us to take the price to the customer, then what is the government going to do? We are not asking for bail out, but we are asking for some intervention that will enable us to reduce the tariff and recover the short fall that is there.

So it is about tariff increase and you have done that about five times?

NO, it is not true. It is just twice, but that twice did not still meet the level of cost reflective tariff. The one that we had last year did not even meet it so it was cost sculpted and so we just continue to charge what we are charging now, may be little adjustment, then wait for another 2 or 3 years to recover the short-fall, that is from February last year to now.

But we are talking of what has happened in the past between November 2013 and January 2016. So much gap and short-fall, even the MDA’s debt are there, though something is being done.

Recoveringthe short-fall

The ministry and the Vice President’s office are involved in getting the MDA’s debt to be paid but the fact is that we have not receive it yet. For us, If you look at the totality, it is close to N100 billion.

What is the total indebtedness of MDAs?

The total picture of MDAs indebtedness is over N28billion as at the last count of our debt.

On recovery, how will that come in?

Well the balance will be recovered from the customer. Some customers are not paying. Some are bying. We have so many customers under disconnection. Some companies, because they are owing so much, they have been disconnected and they are using generators but it doesn’t pay them to use generators, because electricity is cheaper than running diesel.

May we know your customer profile, the distributions in of domestic, commercial, industrial, government?

Totally we have 460,000 ed customers. You know we have consumers who may be in hundreds of thousand, but we are doing enumeration to capture this once like those that are bying and using electricity without payment.

The one in my is 460,000 customers, out of which about 7,000 are maximum demand, MD, customers like your company. We have about seven of them that are high consuming customers.

We have more residential than commercial. For instance, the R2 customers are more than 70 percent of our customer population and those are the residential customers, while others are commercial.

There is a wide range of customers who does not want to pay but rather choose to connect illegally. They are called NEPA 2. The multitude always likes to circumvent things. It takes a lot of efforts to detect illegal connections, which is in addition to those bying.

What is the proportion of power paid for to power not paid for?

On monthly basis, when we bill about N6billion, we only collect N4.2billion to N4.5billion.

Detection of illegal connections

The shortfall we receive may not be non-payment but theft. For theft, may be about 50 to 60 percent.

Many electricity consumers complain that DISCOs have refused to give them meters and instead, they are being given outrageous estimated bills. What is your response to these complaints? What is the percentage of your customers currently running on pre-paid? How do you react to situations where some consumers are forced to pay for pre-paid meters? How ready are you on NERC’s up-coming sanctions on metering coverage of less than 75%

We have a performance agreement for us to meter all our customers within five years. We are at the third year now. We could have gone far with our metering scheme. We have 600, 000 customers, because we are looking at customers that will come in, and customers that will be discovered during the cause of enumerations, so we have made plan for 600, 000 customers. For our customer based, we have covered 60 percent. Right now, we are still installing meters, but not at the rate at which we planned before, because of the economic indices that have a little bit tied our hands, Forex, inflation and the rest of it.

Last year, we signed an agreement for supply of 200,000 meters, 100, 000 from indigenous meter manufacturing company, Mojec International Limited, and another 100,000 from Huawai which is also in Nigeria, so those are 200, 000 in addition to what we have been doing before. So far all our maximum demand customers, the high end customers, we have all the meters to install in their premises. We have almost covered those categories of customers, except for those we have some issues with, either they lock up their premises or for whatever reason.

For other customers, if you go to Lekki, Festac, we have meters we are installing. The target of five years is still sacrosanct if the fallout of the meeting we had earlier, have positive outcome and implementation, we will still meet our target, because it pays us to have our customers metered. We lost a lot from our customers that are not metered.

No matter what we do to those customers without meters, as well as methodology, they will still not be satisfied. Sometimes, if we should give them zero bill, they will still query you. For instance, if the supply for last month wasn’t good, definitely through our record we will see that they will be billed less, the following month, if the supply improve, they still expect to be paying what they paid when the supply wasn’t okay. That’s why we are pushing to have everybody metered so that there will be no controversy again.

It takes a lot of efforts to meter customers. From the first day of the month, we take record of availability of supply. In such location, from the feeders of the transformers, at the end of the month, the staff in charge of billing, they come together, they look at the availability of supply from feeders, transformers and compare them with those that are metered. Before they bill again, they deal with those that are not having meters. Its takes several days to do that, and we are not comfortable with that and in most cases we under bill the customer contrary to what they are saying.

http://www.energywatchng.com/major-challenges-facing-nigeria-electricity-sector-eko-boss/

MTN Nigeria has linked up with solar experts, Lumos, to provide mobile electricity solutions to millions of households and businesses across the country.

The national roll-out of the service in Abuja, the country’s capital, scheduled to take place on February 20, is expected to make life easier for many Nigerians by bringing the revolutionary product closer to their doorpost.

According to the two firms, the innovative product will allow Nigerians enjoy accessible, noise-free and fume-free electricity for everyday use, which they can conveniently pay with airtime from a MTN mobile phone.

The new electricity device, which comes with a five-year warranty, can light up bulbs and power appliances like fans, televisions, mobile phones and computers, according to its makers.

Commenting on the partnership with LUMOS and the revolutionary product, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mr. Ferdi Moolman, said, “Our partnership with LUMOS was borne out of the need to provide safe, affordable electricity alternatives for Nigerians to uninterruptedly conduct their daily businesses. We at MTN value lives and the overall wellbeing of Nigerians and we’ll continue to put out initiatives that focus on providing life solutions.”


http://www.energywatchng.com/mtn-partners-lumos-launch-mobile-electricity-solution/

Transcorp Power, a subsidiary of the Transcorp Group business conglomerate, has expressed its desire to partner with Covenant University with a view to exploring solar energy generation and utilization in Nigeria.

The Group General Counsel, Transcorp Power, Mr. Christopher Ezeafulukwe, made this disclosure on Friday, February 10, 2017, when he led representatives of his organisation including that of its partner, ENGIE, on a courtesy visit to the Management of Covenant University.

Mr. Ezeafulukwe, who bemoaned what he described as the “critical situation” with power supply in Nigeria, said that changes in government policies have had a drastic effect on Transcorp Power’s investment and, in its efforts at finding a solution to the challenge, the company had partnered with power producer, ENGIE, on solar energy.

“We did preliminary work to identify stakeholders whose power we would need to address. One is the tertiary education sector, then Covenant University came up,” he said.

While acknowledging the giant strides being made by Covenant University in the areas of teaching, research and provision of infrastructure, Mr. Ezeafulukwe said that Transcorp Power was at Covenant University to understand the University’s energy needs, and areas where his company and the University can work together within the purview of what Transcorp Power was doing with ENGIE.

Shedding light on the operation of his organization, the Chief Executive Officer of ENGIE, Mr. Philipe Miguele, said that energy system was going through significant evolution and ENGIE was set to launch a significant investment in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the goal of helping customers in growing their energy generation capacity.

ENGIE, he pointed out, wants to partner with Covenant University on power generation and help to reduce the University’s cost as solar energy generation is cost effective.

In his comments, the Director, Physical Planning and Development, Covenant University, Arc. Gbenga Alalade, who expressed appreciation of what Transcorp Power and ENGIE were doing, narrated the evolution of power generation and utilization in CU since inception up to 2015 when the University migrated fully to its own power project, which currently stands at 5.67 megawatts. Power production, he added, would be increased to 10.8 megawatts by the end of 2017.

Arc. Alade revealed that the ultimate goal of Covenant University is renewable energy with focus on solar, wind and waste. It would be ideal, he enthused, for the University and Transcorp Power to work together.

Dr. Hope Orovwode, who represented the Head, Renewable Energy Cluster, CU, Professor Samuel Wara, at the meeting, said that the renewable energy cluster has been doing a lot on solar and the next step was to make it cost effective. The coming of Transcorp Power, he stressed, was timely, and Covenant University would be willing to learn from the company towards making energy accessible to Nigerians.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Covenant University, Professor AAA. Atayero, said he was not surprised that Transcorp Power had chosen to work with Covenant University, attributing the decision to divine providence.

He said that the University had gone through many phases in its desire to find a permanent solution to its power needs and currently uses the turbine but looking at shifting to sustainable energy.

The proposal by Transcorp Power, the Vice-Chancellor noted, means the University was in the right direction. However, he pointed out that the University would not be going into partnership as consumers as the institution desires solution that can give its Engineering students experience.

Professor Atayero described the initiative by Transcorp Power as a good beginning, adding that there would be further discussions between representatives of the University and the company.

Also in the Transcorp Power entourage were its Group Chief Finance Officer, Mr. Ibikunle Oriola and Projects Head, Mr. Funto Amire.

And other representatives of Covenant University at the meeting were the Registrar, Mrs. Mary Aboyade; Dean, College of Engineering, Professor Christian Bolu; Director, Vice-Chancellor’s Office, Dr. David Omole; and Deputy Director, Media and Corporate Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Igban.

http://www.energywatchng.com/transcorp-power-seeks-partnership-cu-solar-energy/

The presidency is yet to offset N552m electricity bill.

This was made known on Thursday by Permanent Secretary, State House, Jalal A. Arabi.

He spoke while giving breakdown of the State House 2017 budget to the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs.

On electricity charges, Arabi explained that N45.3 million was approved in the 2016 budget.

He said that the electricity bill for 2016 alone as forwarded by Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) for State House Abuja was N252 million with another outstanding liability of over N300 million for State House, Lagos facilities.

Arabi noted that the provision in the 2016 budget could not accommodate the outstanding liability.

He said that the management of the State House was forced to install meters in 2016 to ensure proper billing “and that was what reduced the bill to a reasonable figure.”

“We have made a modest provision of the sum of N319.6 million for 2017 to settle current and part of outstanding bills as noted above.”

The official disclosed that N94.5 million was budgeted to purchase bullet-proof tyres for the use of President Muhammadu Buhari and others in the 2017 fiscal year.

On canteen and kitchen equipment, Arabi said that the sum of N100.8 million was provided for in the 2017 proposal.

“This amount is principally the un-released appropriation for 2016 which was the unpaid balance in 2015 for contracts awarded and executed.

“The sum of N80.2million appropriated in 2016 has up to this moment not been released hence its roll over and inclusion in 2017.”

He noted that the amount covered kitchen equipment in the main residence, VP residence, banquet hall, State House medical centre, State House auditorium and 22 other guest houses.

http://www.energywatchng.com/presidency-owing-n552m-electricity-bill/

Acting-President, Yemi Osinbajo has said that the federal government will develop Gas power plant in Egbema local government area of Imo State as it seeks to beef up electricity supply in the country.

He said this in Owerri at a stakeholders’ forum on sustainable development in the Niger-Delta region.

Osinbajo said the development of the facilities in the area was necessary due to the huge deposit of gas in the area, stressing that situating the thermal power facilities in the area will solve the problem of gas supply to the stations, leaving government with only the problem of electricity transmission.

The Acting-President also said that the project will be executed in consultation with the state government, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari had ‎promised to make sure Imo people got their just dues.

He said: “I also believe that thermal power stations such as Egbema power station must be stationed here to beef up electricity supply across the country.

“They must be stationed in the oil-producing communities, especially here in Imo state where there is a huge deposit of gas.

“We must have thermal power stations here, because it’s easier and makes more sense to situate thermal power stations next to the gas facilities so that our only concern will be how to transmit the power. That is one of the issue we intend to deal with in consultation with the state governor, Rochas Okorocha.

“Let me assure you that as far as President Buhari is concerned, Imo state is important, Oil-producing communities are important, and he will make sure and the federal government will make sure that you get your just dues.”

http://www.energywatchng.com/fg-build-gas-power-plant-imo-state-osinbajo/

ABUJA: Notwithstanding the leadership crisis currently rocking the soul of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, the company has earmarked 11 outstanding critical projects for completion in the 2017 fiscal year.

The embattled Managing Director and Chief Executive officer of TCN, Engr. Abubakar Atiku said the management was working hard to ensure the completion of the outstanding critical projects, which were funded in 2016 budget and hopefully to be funded in 2017.

Those targeted for completion, according to him, include the rehabilitation of Afam1 x 150MVA, 330/132/33kV transformer and construction of Afam IV to Afam I, 132kV transmission line currently at 95 percent completion.

He said the Katsina – Daura 132kV line and 2x60MVA Subtation at Daura which has attained 90 percent completion would also be completed as well as the Kafanchan 2x60MVA Substation project, presently at 92 percent completion.

Mobile substation

Others include, 1 x ‘ 150MVA, 330/132kV a 2x60MVA, 132/33kV Substation m Maiduguri – 85 percent completed, Osogbo – Ede 132kV DC Transmission line at 95 percent completed and Kaduna – Jos 330kV DC transmission line at 75 percent completed.

Others include, the Benin North – Osogbo 330kV DC transmission line which has reached 48 percent completion, Erukan – Omotosho 330kV DC transmission line at 24% and 1 x150MVA, 330/132kV and 60MVA, 132/33kV Substation at Damaturu at 92 percent.

Atiku said the 40MVA Mobile Substation at Damboa in Borno State is now at 45 percent completion and the 40MVA Mobile Substation at Mayo Belwa in Adamawa State is 90 percent.

He stated: ‘‘That the completion of the above reinforcement and new projects is expected to increase our wheeling capacity from 6,500MW to 7,200MW by the end of 201 7.’’ On achievements recorded by TCN, Engr. Atiku said, “As part of our strategy to improve the wheeling of reliable power to all parts of our great country, we have upgraded several transmission substations in the country.

“These include the Ikorodu Substation, where we had 30MYA transformer capacity this has been improved to 280MW.

“We have increased transformer capacity in Sokoto and Birinin Kebbi from 30MYA to 60MVA and 180 to 330MYA respectively. Meanwhile, we are also working to restore power supply to some parts of the North East that have remained without electricity supply due to insurgency.

“In Damboa for instance, we have moved in a 40MVA mobile substation to ensure dectricity supply gets to the area.

“A major loop in the center of the grid was formed by the completion of the new 330kY transmission line from Enugu – Markudi -Jos. This loop is a merger of system of grid stability

“We have also completed a major reinforcement work in Akangba Substation, Lagos State, resulting in transformer capacity improvement in the station, from 480MW to 1,260MW.

“The completion Ikot Ekpene Switching Station which is a major hub that links power stations in the South South and South East axis of the country is a major achievement and quite strategic making the grid to be more robust and enhancing grid reliability.

“We have introduced dispatching tools which have resulted in a more efficient interface with Gencos on one hand and Discos on the other hand and have also succeeded in reducing Transmission Loss Factor (TLF) from 8.05% last year to 7.82% as at January 2017.

“This improvement in transmission loss translates to more power to the Discos for the people and about 5billion naira additional revenue to TCN, however due to poor market performance; the impact of these is yet to be felt in of financial returns to TCN.”

“Several capacity building programmes have been executed for our system operators to upgrade their skills. This has culminated in the improvement of grid stability despite external challenges.

On the prudent management of the company’s resources, the MD explained, “Also under our watch, TCN in compliance with World Best Practice and Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, is for the 1st time being audited by a reputable external audit firm (Pricewater & Cooper).

“The audit report on TCNs performance from 2005 to 2014 would be ready before the end of February.”

http://www.energywatchng.com/transmission-capacity-hit-7200mw-december-2017-tcn/

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said he will, like other consumers, be more resistant to payment of electricity bill if there is no supply.

Fashola said this on Monday at the 12th Monthly Power Sector and Stakeholders’ Meeting in Ibadan hosted by Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.

Power generation in the country has worsened in recent weeks after hitting the 4,000 megawatts mark in December last year, with many consumers without prepaid meters complaining about over-estimated bills despite the dip in supply.

Commenting on the problems in the power sector, the minister said sabotage of gas assets and pipelines had “decommissioned power plants and their ability to provide up to 3,000 megawatts of power”.

He said, “The 3,500MW to 3,800MW that we have been able to keep on the grid over the last few months will be assisted greatly if we can have the gas pipelines back and add 3,000MW to it. That means we will be able to deliver well over 6,000MW if the gas pipelines are safe.”

Fashola said the sabotage had also created debt and liquidity problems, shortfall in power expectation, and in revenue recovery by power distribution firms.

“Consumers are more resistant to payment when they don’t have electricity, and I will be, too, and you will be too,” he told the power investors and other stakeholders at the meeting.

“We see that they (consumers) pay more when the power is more stable. Of course, there are issues also at the retail end – metering, estimated bills.”

Noting that all stakeholders have different roles to play in solving the problems, the minister said, “You will see that government has begun to act. The Vice President, representing the President, is going round those Niger Delta communities, engaging them more openly, more robustly.

“The idea is to bring them to the table to stop the vandalism while the issues that agitate them can be treated and resolved. I believe that if we are successful as we expect to be, we should be able to, sometimes, this year recover all the 3,000MW that has been lost to gas pipeline outages.”

http://www.energywatchng.com/will-avoid-bill-payment-theres-no-electricity-fashola/

More details into the financial state of the power sector has been revealed by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) / Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET).

The information obtained by energywatchng shows that the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Invoices and payments from generating companies (GENCOs) to distribution companies (DISCOs) and offtakers for 2016 has reflected that an invoice of N27.14bn was issued by the generating companies (GENCOs) to the offtakers while a payment of N2bn was made with a balance N24.96bn recorded at the end of 2016.

The generating companies (GENCOs) issued a total invoice of N331bn to the distribution companies (DISCOs) with the DISCOs share of the total invoice put at N331bn while payment N88.03bn was received with a balance of N242.97bn recorded at the end of the period under review.

Similarly, the generating companies (GENCOs) issued a total invoice of N361.52bn to the offtakers with the offtakers share of the total invoice put at N30.2bn while payment N2bn was received with a balance of N27.39bn recorded at the end of 2016.

The sum of N1.13bn was recorded as the debit note for Net GENCOs imports in 2016.

Further breakdown by energywatchng shows that Egbin generated the most energy in 2016 with a total invoice of N62.5bn which is the total cost of energy generated for 2016, followed by Transcorp Power with a total invoice of N40.4bn, third on the list was Jebba with a total invoice of N26.1 bn.

From the various invoices to the Discos, Egbin received N16.4bn which is 26.24% of total cost of energy generated, while Transcorp Power received N9.6bn (23.64%) and Jebba received N6.1bn (23.37%). Further analysis by energywatchng showed that the Gencos were paid less than 30% of the actual cost of energy generated which is a major cause of the poor generation level currently experience across the country because the Gencos are limited with funds and can’t invest heavily on their plants.

Moreover, amongst the discos’ invoice, Abuja Disco took the highest energy with a total invoice of N44.9bn for the year 2016, seconded by Ikeja Disco with a total invoice of N42.4bn, followed by Ibadan Disco with a total invoice of N41.2bn, Enugu came forth with a total invoice of N36.97bn, Benin Disco had a total invoice of N30.3bn, followed by Port Harcourt Disco and Eko disco, with a total invoice of N29.8bn and N28.5bn respectively.

In the of payment performance with respect to their various invoices from the Gencos, Eko Disco came first with total payment of N13.5bn for the year 2016 which is 47.3% of the total cost of the energy used by the disco.

Ikeja Disco took second, with total payment of N29bn (31.6%), followed by Ibadan disco taking third, Abuja disco taking forth, Enugu Disco taking fifth and Benin Disco taking sixth their total respective payment was N12.9bn (31.3%), N13.1bn (29.17%), N9.9bn (26.83%) and N7.5 bn (24.67%).

Further analysis by energywatchng shows that most discos remitted less than 30% of the cost of energy they distributed to their customers which is very poor and not encouraging for the sector. We believe more effort and investment should be channeled towards revenue collection amongst the Discos.

http://www.energywatchng.com/discos-paid-gencos-n88-03bn-n331bn-2016-nbs/