Nigeria Power Generation At All Time High Of "Meagre" 4,350MW

The nation’s power generation has hit a new peak of 4,349.7 megawatts, the Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Power, Mr. Beks Dagogo-Jack, has said. Dagogo-Jack who disclosed this in a statement made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday, said the new record was set on Monday.

“This is a very exciting and cheering news. To be clear, we are not surprised. We are fully focused as a team to prove to Nigerians that this government is serious about power and in spite of all the challenges on the way, power will grow from level to level as we progress. I assure you that the best is yet to come,” Dagogo-Jack said.

For your information

Sub-Saharan countries have varying levels of electrification but most have an electrification level of less than 30 percent. Currently Sub-Sahara Africa has a total power generation capacity of 68 GW. It is equivalent to that of Spain. South Africa accounts for two-thirds of Sub-Sahara Africa’s current generation capacity of which 90 percent is generated by coal. South Africa’s power infrastructure stands therefore in stark contrast to the rest. With a population of 49 million, it has a total generation capacity of about 45 000 (megawatts) MW. In contrast, the second largest generator, Nigeria (with a population of 150 million) has a total generation capacity of less than 6 000 MW.

And Nigeria is still making deal of a news with meager  4,349.7 megawatts.

He commended the key operational players whose diligence, he said, contributed to the feat, adding that the systems operator and the team from the management contractor for the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Manitoba Hydro International, also played strategic roles in ensuring higher level of electricity generation.

Power authorities on Friday raised hopes that the nation would generate 6,873MW of electricity by the end of 2013.

The Chief Executive Officer, Egbin Power Plc, Mr. Mike Uzoigwe, had said the authorities had set a target of 6,873MW for 2013.

Uzoigwe made the disclosure when the Chief Executive Officers of organisations in the Ministry of Power signed performance agreements with the Minister of State for Power, Mrs. Zainab Kuchi.

He said the successor companies to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria would generate 3,879MW, while the National Independent Power Producers would generate 2,500MW.

Uzoigwe said the target was agreed upon at a meeting attended by the minister, the Presidential Task Force on Power and the CEOs of all the successor companies where the capability and performance of all generation stations were reviewed.

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Lifestyle: 60 Million Nigerians Spend N1.6trillion on Generators Annually

Thats some serious numbers being mentioned above. Generator business is a big business.
Some interesting statistics on the usage of power generating sets in Nigeria has been revealed by the Director-General of Centre for Management Development, Dr Kabir Usman.
According to him, about 60 million Nigerians spend N1.6 trillion on generators annually.
He also said that Nigeria had the highest number of standby generators, which had become permanent, making the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) the standby.

“Currently, there are about 60 million generators in Nigeria at the ratio of one per household of 2.5 people with an annual spending of N1.6 trillion,”

Tribune quoted him as saying at the launch of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) graduate skills development programme  in Abuja, on Monday.

Mr. Usman further noted that the presence of too many generators has also been the cause of many health issues and deaths in the nation as a result of carbon monoxide emission.
Still on the use of generating sets as alternative sources of electricity, it is no news that irregular power supply has adversely affected businesses in Nigeria. He revealed that Nigeria’s highly inadequate supply of electricity adds 40 percent to the cost of goods produced in the country. According to him, “the situation has compelled many industries to either shut down or relocate to neighbouring countries.”

He also said that the poorest Nigerians paid more than N80/kwh burning candles, kerosene and firewood while  manufacturers paid between N45 and N60/kwh on diesel to run their generators. Diesel business is a serious business too.
With so much money being spent on alternative sources of electricity, it comes as no surprise that most Nigerians eagerly await the completion of the ongoing privatization process of the PHCN with the hope that power supply would become more regular.
How much do you spend on your generating set daily, weekly or monthly? What do you think about the statistics on generator usage in Nigeria?

Jonathan God is watching you....

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