Power Generation to Reach 6,000MW in July

The Minister of State for Power, Hajia Zainab Kuchi, has disclosed that power generation will increase from its current 4,500 to 6,000MW in July and rise further to 10,000MW by December.

The minister made the assertion during a meeting with the Senate Committee on Power, where she disclosed that a whopping N347 billion would be needed for the transmission network as power generation increases.

According to her, even though the process of privatising the companies created from the unbundling of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) had been completed, the generating and distribution companies that were bid for last year could not be handed over to successful bidders because the companies were currently not in good shape.
She added that the delay in putting the companies in good shape was caused by non-availability of funds, explaining that the power ministry had not received any budgetary allocation since January.

She however assured the lawmakers that all power companies that were bid for last year would be duly handed over to bonafide owners in December.

FG Upgrades Ibom Power Transmission Network

The Federal Government has commenced the upgrade of the transmission line between Eket and Uyo, as well as Uyo and Itu, all in Akwa Ibom State. The existing transmission line can only allow the power plant to evacuate a maximum of 70megawatts, instead of an optimum average of 173MW.

Power for consumers in Akwa Ibom State is provided through a 132kV transmission line which runs from Ibom Power Plant in the South through Eket and Uyo to Itu in the North where it connects to other parts of the national grid.

Part of the line between Ibom Power Plant and Eket, which was constructed at the same time as the power plant can carry over 200MW, but the older line between Eket, Uyo and Itu can only carry 75MW.

The upgrade of the transmission line will be executed in two phases, with the first phase covering Eket to Uyo expected to last for 40 days. During the period of the upgrade or restringing of the line, Ibom Power Plant would provide power for consumers in Eket and its environs. However, stated that the national grid would provide power for consumers served by Uyo and Itu substations.

FG Targets 5,400Mw by December

Federal Government has disclosed that Nigerians would begin to experience uninterrupted light by December, 2012 with plans to generate 5,400 mega watts from the current 4,400 mega watts. Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe said that the 5,400 mega watts target will be achieved following the arrangement by the National Integrated Power Project, NIPP, where by December, 1,000MW would be added to the current 4,400 currently available in the country, as against the little above 1,900MW before Jonathan took over.

According to him, President Jonathan inherited grounded and moribund NIPP with 10 of the projects abandoned and with the rehabilitation process and efforts made, some of the grids are adding about 600MW.

Okupe debunked insinuations by some critics that power increased because of increase in the water level.  The reason for this additional increase according to Okupe is the NIPP that are now adding between 600 and 800 megawatts to the national grid.

Nnaji: Powerful interests forced me out

Following his sudden exit from President Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet, ex-Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has said that he resigned because some “powerful vested interests” were bent on tarnishing his image. He added that he left the cabinet in order to save the Jonathan administration from the “spill over” of the attacks by the “powerful vested interests.”

His reaction was contained in a statement by his spokesman, Ogbuagu Anikwe, and it coincided with  a declaration   by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, that   Nnaji’s exit would reinforce the credibility of the Federal Government’s reforms in the power sector.

The former minister said he  was proud  that he left at  a time  that  power generation and supply  had had improved. According to him, “I feel particularly proud of the fact that my exit comes at a time that the administration has been able to generate and supply an unprecedented quantum of steady, reliable electric power in the history of our nation. I am confident enough to allow history and the Nigerian people to judge my performance on the task that I accepted from the President.”

He denied having conflict of interest in his handling of the power sector reform saying that he resigned his directorship of all companies that he had interest in and put his shares in those companies in a Blind Trust.

Nnaji said  his resignation had given him the opportunity to go back to his integrated power projects “which have been designed to accelerate the development of the nation.” He paid tribute to the staff of the Ministry of Power, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria and other agencies for their “dedication to duty, hard work, patriotism and commitment to the common good which have, in spite of all odds, completely moved the power sector in a new direction to the benefit of all our people.

But Maku, in apparent reaction to fears by stakeholders that Nnaji’s resignation would slow down the power privatization process, said government was determined to ensure its success.

Jonathan takes over power ministry

Following the resignation of the Minister of power, Professor Barth Nnaji, President Goodluck Jonathan has taken over the supervision of ministry of power until substantive power minister is appointed. President Jonathan took over the direct supervision of the ministry to avoid failures in his promises to deliver stable power supply to the nation.