The federal government plans to begin replacing ageing electricity infrastructure across the power sector within the next two to three months to address transmission bottlenecks and improve electricity supply.
Speaking on TVC’s Breakfast Show on Monday, Joseph Tegbe, Minister of Power, said the transmission network remains the sector’s biggest challenge, with some power lines and facilities as old as 20 years.
He said the planned replacement would cover facilities across the sector, while efforts are also underway to expand transmission capacity in parts of the country. The minister disclosed that human factors are a significant constraint to resolving the sector’s challenges, contributing about ’80 percent’ of the problems facing the power value chain, while ‘infrastructure accounts for the remaining 20 percent.’
He also acknowledged persistent difficulties in the distribution segment, noting that the government’s focus would be on ensuring Nigerians have access to electricity, despite operational challenges confronting some distribution companies (DisCos).
Speaking on the ongoing power crisis, he said: ‘We had power outages a few days ago. It wasn’t as a result of grid collapse. What we had was reduced supply on the grid.’
According to him, the lack of electricity supply was as a result of planned maintenance at Benin Egbin Power, a major high-voltage power corridor.
He noted that it was supposed to go smoothly; however, vandalism on one of the lines that ‘brings power into Lagos complex’ stalled activities, which disrupted the line capable of ‘bringing 300 megawatts to 400 megawatts into Lagos.’
Tegbe explained that after these incidents, Lagos lost about 800 megawatts of electricity, ultimately plunging the state into darkness.
‘Because of that, we resorted to rationing power through load shedding across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and some parts of Kwara States,’ he said However, Tegbe revealed that plans are in the works to increase Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity.
According to him, Aliko Dangote has indicated willingness to support efforts to increase electricity generation capacity by 20,000 megawatts.
The minister further identified liquidity constraints as a major obstacle to gas supply for power generation, despite the availability of the commodity.
‘It’s true gas is available, but liquidity to buy it is sometimes the problem,’ he said.
His remarks come against the backdrop of recent gas supply shortages as the reason for the present power failure challenges occurring across multiple states in gas-rich Nigeria. e Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) disclosed recently that the current power outages facing Nigerians is as a result of ‘tight gas supply to thermal power plants and weaker output from hydroelectric stations.’
However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) has come out to say that the company, through Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company Limited, is ‘available to support gas deliveries to power generation stations in Nigeria,’ raising questions around communication between the operators.
The power sector continues to contend with challenges across generation, transmission and distribution, with inadequate infrastructure, liquidity constraints and operational inefficiencies limiting the amount of electricity delivered to consumers.
He empathised with Nigerians on the power supply crisis, noting that: ‘I feel your pain and I’m totally committed to fixing electricity access, working with Mr President to ensure results.’
‘Infrastructure replacement will begin in the next two to three months across all facilities,’ Tegbe said.