The Federal Authorities on Wednesday revealed plans to spice up Nigeria’s electrical energy provide by 150MW earlier than 2024 ends.
The Minister of Energy, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this to State Home correspondents after a enterprise session on the State Home throughout the state go to of the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to President Bola Tinubu.
“So we consider that earlier than the top of the yr, an extra 150MW of capability goes to be added upon completion of your complete pilot part,” Adelabu stated whereas explaining the implementation of the Presidential Energy Initiative settlement.
On December 1, 2023, the Nigeria and Germany signed the Presidential Energy Initiative settlement to inject 12,000 MegaWatts of electrical energy into the nationwide grid.
The signing was presided over by the leaders of each nations, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on the sidelines of the United Nations Local weather Change Summit, COP28, in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Managing Director of the Federal Authorities of Nigeria Energy Firm, Kenny Anuwe, and the Managing Director (Africa), Siemens AG, Nadja Haakansson, signed the settlement.
Adelabu, who attended the enterprise session, stated, “The sport now could be about cooperation, collaboration and partnership. The flagship of this bilateral relationship has to do with what we name the Siemens mission, which is our Presidential Energy Initiative the place Siemens is implementing the Brownfield and Greenfield transmission substations of the Presidential Energy initiative.
“Since signing the settlement in Dubai at COP 28 in December 2023, we’ve got made vital progress. Now we have accomplished the pilot part of this mission, as much as 80 per cent.
“This includes the importation, set up and commissioning of 10 energy transformers and 10 energy cellular substations. They’ve been imported. They’ve been put in, and many them have been commissioned. Now we have nearly two left to be commissioned earlier than the top of the yr.”
He added, “The mission had added no less than 750 megawatts to our transmission grid capability, which is why the relative stability we’re seeing within the grid immediately is the direct constructive impression of the pilot stage completion.”
His feedback got here hours after the nationwide grid collapsed for the twelfth time in 2024.
Grid failures usually are not unusual in one in all Africa’s largest economies, whose energy sector nonetheless suffers gross underinvestment, says the Particular Adviser to the President on Power, Olu Verheijen.
Regardless of an put in capability of about 13,000MW, Nigeria’s energy grid transmits solely 4000MW as a result of ageing infrastructure, the Minister of Energy, Adelabu, revealed at a briefing on October 28.
Nevertheless, that quantity is grossly insufficient for over 200 million residents, leaving many areas with out dependable electrical energy as people and authorities entities battle to pay mounting energy payments.
Along with weak infrastructure, Nigeria’s energy grid has additionally been a goal of sabotage.
In October, armed teams broken the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line, chopping electrical energy provide to 17 northern states.
Following the incident, restore crews couldn’t entry the positioning as a result of safety issues. Repairs started solely after President Bola Tinubu directed the Nationwide Safety Adviser to work with the Military and Air Pressure to deploy satisfactory safety personnel, together with aerial cowl, to guard the engineers fixing the broken transmission line.
Nevertheless, Adelabu is certain that the administration’s steps will the stabilise energy provide.
“We’re fairly assured from the satisfaction that we acquired from the completion of the pilot stage. Once we are accomplished with the Section One mission within the transmission, your complete grid won’t stay the identical.
“That’s why we inform Nigerians it is a very outdated grid. It’s fairly fragile, and it’s dilapidating.
“We have to revamp your complete grid to make sure stability going ahead. That’s the presidential energy initiative,” he acknowledged.
Adelabu additionally introduced that the FG is shifting into the primary part of the mission, which includes rehabilitating 14 present substations and developing 23 new ones nationwide.
He defined that the business points of the primary part have been concluded, and the following step includes securing a no-objection approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement.
Following this, the proposal might be introduced to the Federal Govt Council. As soon as permitted, the financing preparations might be finalised, enabling the graduation of the mission’s first part.
The minister highlighted the FG’s dedication to renewable vitality as a key part of its vitality transition plan to attain internet zero emissions by 2060.
He emphasised the necessity for collaboration and partnership with technologically superior nations like Germany, leveraging their experience to harness Nigeria’s plentiful pure sources, together with photo voltaic vitality, with over 30 states receiving a minimal of 10 hours of sunshine every day.
“We additionally talked about renewable vitality, which we consider is the way in which ahead. Now we have an vitality transition plan to attain internet zero emissions by 2060.
“To realize this, we should collaborate. We should associate. We should cooperate with a rustic like Germany, which has the expertise, and we’ve got the solar. Over 30 states in Nigeria have a minimal of 10 hours of sunshine daily.
“They’ve the expertise. Now we have the wind. Now we have the desert wind up north and the coastal winds down south. The brand new freeway from Lagos to Calabar is opening up our coastal offshore wind throughout the 9 coastal states of Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River,” Adelabu defined.
Moreover, the minister identified the untapped potential of over 300 dams for hydroelectric energy, which may very well be accessed via developments like the brand new Badagry-Sokoto street.
He burdened that these alternatives create immense potential for expanded vitality entry in collaboration with Germany.
Adelabu argued, “Then, speaking about our hydroelectric energy crops, we’ve got over 300 dams we’ve got not utilised for hydroelectric energy due to poor entry.
“With the brand new street of Badagry to Sokoto, quite a lot of these dams may even be opened up. So we’ve got so many alternatives and potentials on what we will do with Germany to attain expanded vitality entry to our folks going ahead.”
The ability minister additionally reiterated that an off-grid system is the important thing to addressing Nigeria’s vitality challenges, emphasising the necessity to implement a distributed energy mannequin.
This method would enable every of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to develop their power-generating crops embedded inside their states.
Such a mannequin, he defined, would defend states from disruptions on the nationwide grid, offering backup energy in case of nationwide grid failures.
“The off-grid system is the answer. Nonetheless, we should implement a distributed energy mannequin whereby every of our 36 states and FCT can have their very own producing crops throughout the state.
“This community might be embedded throughout the states, and they are going to be shielded from any downside on the nationwide grid. When there’s a downside on the nationwide grid, they’ll all have a backup.
“Now we have a preponderance of rural areas. We should electrify our rural areas and have remoted tertiary well being and schooling establishments that we should use. So, that’s using renewable vitality for off-grid options,” he stated.
He highlighted Germany’s position on this effort, significantly via its growth company, GIZ, which has supported grid extensions and renewable vitality initiatives.
Moreover, he revealed that a number of German corporations and personal buyers have proven curiosity in renewable vitality tasks in Nigeria, together with photo voltaic, wind, and hydropower.
Whereas no new agreements had been signed on the assembly, discussions targeted on accelerating the implementation of present agreements.
