Minister Proffers Solution to Nigeria’S Epileptic Power Supply

The Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo has suggested embedded power generation as the panacea to the epileptic power supply that has plagued industrial and economic activities in the country.

According to him ‘’it will guarantee regular power supply for both domestic and industrial uses’’.

Professor Nebo, who made the disclosure while signing  two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Winners Power Gardens Limited, for the construction of 20MW hydro power plant in Kogi State and Alphamax Consortium, for the provision of transmission infrastructure, said that the production of 20MW each of power, spread across 50 sites across the country, will contribute immensely in alleviating the power challenges of the nation, as it would be easier, cheaper and quicker to harness as against the setting up of a 400 – 500MW capacity plant in terms of time, space and cost.

He described the venture as a proactive means of solving the obvious acute electricity supply problem facing the country, especially as it was using renewable energy which is environmental friendly.  He added that it would be a holistic project that will also address agricultural challenges in its area of location as more water would be harvested and made available for farming.

The Minister further urged the company to work towards getting the necessary licenses to ensure smooth take-off, adding that because government is a continuum, and given the viability of the project, it will definitely see the light of the day even with the in-coming administration.

Prof. Nebo, who attributed the present challenges of the transmission network to long years of dilapidated infrastructure, charged the Alphamax Company to take a careful look at the advert placements of the Transmission Company of Nigeria with a view to keying-into areas where their proposed projects will be most required.

“If we produce all the power in the world without a corresponding transmission capacity, how will we get the power out to the end users”?

He charged both companies to follow-up on the MoU they have signed as such endeavor could easily become moribund when ‘companies go to sleep’ after signing agreements.

Speaking on behalf of the Groups, Dr. Jacob Abdullahi stated that the MoU signed, is another desperate move by the ministry to encourage embedded generation and transmission of power within a locality, in order to reduce the load on the grid and enhance efficiency so as to ensure un-interrupted power supply in Nigeria.