By Yemie ADEOYE

LAGOS-AFTER a protracted wait of almost six months, the Nigerian nation now have a duly constituted Federal cabinet with 36 properly screened and strategically selected ministers, it appears it’s worth the wait.

Now, there can be no excuse for the Buhari administration not to deliver on electoral promises. In a country highly yearning for direct foreign investments one of the most watched sectors has been and remains the power sector.

Nigerians from all walks of life have expressed excitement over the appointment of the former Lagos state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN as the next minister of power. The social media, especially facebook and twitter has been agog with positive expressions over the appointment of the very cerebral gentleman, even as the staff of the Power Ministry were ecstatic in jubilation at the arrival of Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN to the Federal Secretariat.

However it should be noted that this was the same Ministry that has been termed as jinxed severally in the past and that also humbled the late Cicero of Esa-Oke, Chief Bola Ige when he was reported to have said he would turn the sector around. The rest of that story is today, history.

Just as Mr. Fashola is being appointed as the next power Minister, Egbin the nation’s largest thermal power station has dropped from its 1320mw capacity to 660 Mw, this is coming just as the nation’s power sector has a combined generation output of about 4000Mw for a nation of 170 million people.

In a telephone chat conducted by Biztellers.com with some operators and players in the power sector it was gathered that one of the fastest ways to ensure that the sector lives up to expectation is for the incoming minister to take some drastic measures in ensuring the immediate licensing of embedded power plants across the country as this would ensure that the national grid is freed of a lot of dependents currently tied to it.

It is believed that the DISCOS have not made any infrastructural contribution to the assets they have inherited from the PHCN and as such we are still under the whims and caprices of PHCN. Simply put the masses are not benefitting from the so-called deregulation of the sector.

It is important to note that until Nigerians are able to buy power from any company of their choice and also port from one power service provider to another then it is not yet uhuru with this most important sector for economic development. In developed climes, a single estate can be powered by several power suppliers to each apartment. Specifically apartment ‘A’ can be supplied by a particular energy company while apartment ‘B’ is supplied by another, and these apartments reserve the right to discontinue the service whenever they so desire. That is what the new power minister should set out to do via strategic policy formulation and implementation. Below are the quick wins for Mr. Fashola as shown by a detailed research over the years.

EMBEDED POWER PLANTS: The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) during a recent meeting with members of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) had called on the association to drive its plan to grow investments in embedded and captive electricity generation in Nigeria. NERC, during the meeting said that it would welcome a partnership with the association to develop embedded power generation in industrial clusters around the country. Both parties however agreed on the need to create a framework for the creation of micro grid for industrial clusters across the country, as well as driving same with a special purpose vehicle (SPV) that could be created by MAN. Both team in this regard decided to set up a committee that would understudy and address possible challenges posed to industrial productivity and the country’s broader economic goals as it relates to power.

The committee will also plan how to develop and dedicate small grids that can be connected to a large distribution grid to service industrial clusters. Sam Amadi, chairman of NERC, disclosed at the meeting that the Commission had briefed Professor Yemi Osinbajo, vice president, on the objective of the meeting, which is to make power available to industrial clusters in a reliable and quickest possible approach.

He noted that amongst the options that are being considered is an arrangement to upgrade licenses of captive electricity generators with excess capacities to supply firms within their vicinity through commercial arrangements that would be jointly beneficial to the electricity distribution companies and the industries. Amadi equally stated that MAN could take up the option of developing small embedded power plants using the huge coal deposits that are found across Nigeria.

According to him, investments in such small size coal-powered plants could be quite economical for MAN to promote especially amongst its members in industrial clusters with good coal deposits. He further explained that the establishment of micro grid could be, “beneficial as it will provide commercially viable electricity to industries and free grid electricity that goes to industries for residential and other consumers.” The meeting also revealed that a technical committee with nominations from the Commission will be set up and coordinated by MAN since its members will be the main beneficiaries of stable and adequate electricity supply. The incoming Minister of Power needs to sit down with NERC and take an intricate look at this report with a view to ensuring the quick implementation of the recommendations.

SOLAR: If the incoming minister must leave an indelible mark in the nation’s power sector, it is highly imperative for him to commence almost immediately a massive licensing of photovoltaic/ solar energy operators.

Solar is the cheapest and fastest means to constant power supply, and for a country as Nigeria which is in dire need of infrastructural development which in turn woos prospective investments, it is important to immediately formulate a policy that would aid the massive influx of solar energy operators into the country.

Such policies may also include laws that would make it mandatory for every new building to have a solar-paneled roof from the point of architectural approval. This is already a practice in some countries of the world and it has formed a major stop-gap for the power sector in such countries.

South Africa with a population of about 52 million people generates about 38,000 Mw and the country has plans to get a minimum of 18,000 Mw from solar energy by 2020. Already more than Nigeria’s current 4,000 Mw output capacity is being generated via solar energy in South Africa, they aren’t satisfied with that and are planning to boost that capacity as stated above.

COAL: The enormity of untapped coal in Nigeria is frightening, the federal government recently put the figure at about 2.8 billion metric tonnes, and the minister would need to bring fresh ideas in this regard, away from the conventional thermal and hydro fired power stations. Almost 90 percent of South Africa’s 37,000 Mw output capacity is generated from coal. Now the minister needs to see this as a must do if he must live up to the huge expectations of Nigerians in this make or mar sector. Biztellers can authoritatively confirm that with a determined political will and a quest to leave behind a legacy for generations yet unborn the federal government of Nigeria can generate no less than 20,000 Mw from coal alone, and this is where the current Minister is highly expected to make policy pronouncements and follow it up with detailed implementation.

WINDMILL: With the aquatic splendor of cities like Lagos, Portharcourt, Warri, Calabar, Uyo, Ondo, Bakkassi etc  Nigeria should use the coastal regions to generate power as a matter of urgency. A case study for this technology is the Netherlands.

Windpower in the Netherlands is recently been used as a renewable energy source. As at December 2013, 1,975 wind turbines were already operational on land in the Netherlands, with an aggregate capacity of 2,479 MW.

An additional 228 MW of capacity was installed at sea in Amsterdam. The Dutch are trying to meet the EU-set target of producing 14 percent of total electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Windmills have historically played a major part in the Netherlands by providing an alternative to water driven mills.

This is important for Minister Fashola especially in this era of change. All the above mentioned strategy is not rocket science and only requires the willpower to implement.

A diversified power generation is most essential at this time in Nigeria, while the conventional hydro and thermal power plants including the NIPP’s should continue to receive immense funding for maintenance and increase in capacity.