By Chesa Chesa
Experts in the energy sector gathered at The Electricity Hub (TEH) power dialogue in Abuja, over the weekend offered strategies to get more Nigerians have access to electricity as demand increases nationwide.
At the dialogue session theme ‘Electrification Planning’, the experts recalled a World Bank report that said 92 million Nigerians (43% of the nation’s population) lack access to grid energy, which is one of the most significant global power access deficits.
Although the Nigerian government has established goals for the nation to have universal access to power by 2030, players in the Nigerian energy industry still face technological, financial, and regulatory challenges, noted participants at the session.
The session had Yewande Olatunde, Technical Sales Manager, Jinko Solar, as the Moderator; with Babara Izilein, Senior Advisor, MD/CEO of Rural Electrification Agency (REA); Head of Solar Power Naija Programme at REA, Engr. Kabiru Adamu; General Manager, System Planning at Transition Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele; Executive Director, Networks, at Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) as a panellists.
Engr. Kabiru spoke on the level of demands to achieve the energy access goal. He emphasised the challenges associated with data collation; he gave an instance of the energy sources for energy access, like solar.
He said planning for each resource and understanding the best ways to take advantage of each resource was necessary.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s population, one of the primary drivers of the energy demand. Therefore, it is essential to acquire credible data to match the population demand and serve their demand.
Ms Babara spoke extensively on ways to improve the data collation effectively. Speaking on the essence of data integrity, she mentioned the need for a standardised structure for data collection and a digitalised system for acquiring and sharing this data with other stakeholders.
She mentioned the need to create an awareness of data collation, especially its relevance, saying that data collation is quite expensive.
On the role of the government agencies in fostering effective planning, Engr. Oyedele highlighted the part of the Federal Ministry of Power to be a very dominant one.
According to him, the Ministry needs to be excluded from the civil service structure to avoid prolonging simple things due to its bureaucracy.
He also spoke on the need to declare an emergency in the power sector to achieve the energy access goal and create a body to handle it.
Engr. Kabiru spoke on the implementation strategy noting that a multi-stakeholder strategy is best suitable for the situation at hand.
He said the government’s role is undeniably critical but can’t handle it alone, noting that the government’s key responsibility is coordination and providing an enabling environment for the private sector to drive the implementation due to its capital intensity.
He went further to say that the financial institutions that govern the entire industry must also be in good condition to allow investors to be comfortable with their investments in the Nigerian power sector. He underscored the need for incentives like a robust regulatory framework to encourage policy consistency.
Ms. Babara highlighted the policies to boost investors’ confidence to inject funds for energy access. She explained the electrification plan being a bankable document, which boosted investors’ confidence.
The panellists all spoke on possible ways to encourage synergy between the on-grid and off-grid sectors.
Engrs. Kabiru and Oyedele spoke on the most suitable models between utility-scale projects or interconnected mini-grids that will foster the smooth implementation of Nigeria’s electrification plan.
They emphasised getting the right energy mix requires the appropriate leadership from the Ministry of Power and the need for a national grid to bring all parties together under one roof, as well as a body to regulate and ensure no conflict of interest.
