Power
Nigeria grapples for steady power supply as RE takes center stage in Africa
Solar panels
By Yemie ADEOYE just back from Johannesburg, South Africa
AS Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and most populous nation continues to grapple under unexplainable epileptic power supply without much recourse to alternate sources of power, renewable energy has continued to take center stage in most major electric power conferences around the continent.
Several developed and highly industrialized nations of the world have also continued to call for continued reduction in gas emissions into the atmosphere to avert global catastrophes.
Specifically, renewable energy especially solar and wind have taken the front burner in most power conferences and seminars around the world as the developed world gears up to meet the emerging high demand for global development in all spheres of human endeavor most of which is dependent on power.
Nigeria, Africa’s economic super power with a GDP of about $510 billion annually is currently struggling to keep up with the rest of world as it introduces one policy after another in its quest to salvage what is left of its highly epileptic and seemingly moribund power sector.
In Johannesburg South Africa, a country with a population of 48 million people and power generating output of 35,000 megawatts delegates from around the world gathered to discuss electric power supply, but this time the discussion is centered on Solar energy.
At the just ended seminar tagged PV project development 2014 delegates wondered how Nigeria could emerge Africa’s largest economy with less than 5000 megawatts for 170 million people. According to these delegates the matrix just doesn’t add up. While some held the opinion that if there was constant increased power Nigeria’s GDP would certainly have grown above a trillion dollar.
The quest for an improved power sector by Nigerians is at an all time high. The effort on the part of the several government since 1999 is not commensurate with these quest as all efforts by the Nigerian government is stalled by its persistent quests to invest only on thermal power generating plants and on very rare occasions, hydro.
A recent move by investors in Nigeria’s power sector to consider massive coal importation from South Africa was discouraged by the federal government for no justifiable reason, when it is common reality that it is a practical and sustainable alternative to gas and Hydro.
Already, a projected upward review of gas prices in Nigeria is threatening to take its toll on electricity tariffs paid by consumers and this is also generating negative reactions from Nigerians across board who continue to live in absolute darkness.
Pekun Adeyanju of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company in Lagos in a chat with this writer confirmed that the Distribution companies don’t get adequate supply of generated power to distribute to its customers. A major part of this is blamed on non availability of gas due to incessant shutdown by International Oil Companies carrying out repair works on these lines.
An industry operator who spoke on condition of anonymity stated confirmed it is sad to note that Nigeria is still fiddling with the idea of renewable energy when it is confirmed as the fastest and cheapest source of electricity supply especially in a country as populated as Nigeria.
“Why would we be generating less than 5,000 megawatts when we have no less than 170 million people to supply? He queried? What do we have to lose if we invest in renewable energy, especially solar?
According to him Nigeria could be generating thousands of megawatts of electricity through renewable energy which would in turn serve as a compliment to the already conventional thermal and hydro sources of power generation.
The conference was also an avenue for representatives from all the key stakeholders in the African PhotoVoltaic (PV) market set out their vision for solar development across the region in a series of key presentations at PV Project Development Africa 2014.
The summit was designed to set out a roadmap for solar development in Africa, both within the government driven REIPPPP program in South Africa and for private distributed PV projects across Africa.
The conference began with an impassioned presentation from Wido Schnabel of Canadian Solar and was followed by a series of insightful presentations including Arnold Rix of Gestamp Solar and Daniel Goldstuck of Aurora Power Solutions in discussions moderated by Simon Haw, Director at Aurora Power Solutions. Important themes included getting the most from the REIPPPP by unlocking the keys to site selection and what the future of solar in South could look like.
The conference was rounded off with a discussion of the small scale financing available for solar PV with in depth presentations from Andy Tant of Cresco Project Finance and Jonathan Berman, Managing Director at Fieldstone. Highlighting the key trends and challenges that go with funding small scale projects, the event confirmed South Africa as one of the world’s leading solar markets, but has also surfaced the possibility that will be the centre where solar development across sub-Saharan can take off water.
The republic of South Africa is currently generating about 37,000 mega watts of electricity for which over 80 percent is coal fired. The conference has once again confirmed that Solar remains the fastest and cheapest means of electric power supply for which Nigerians are currently clamoring. That is why it is commonplace to see PV solar panels on several roofs of residential and commercial buildings in the republic of South Africa. The question begging for answer remains why is the Nigerians government not giving renewable energy a chance? Out of South Africa’s over 35,000 megawatts of electric power 90 percent is coal fired. The country is not resting as it dares to generate no less than 18,000 megawatts of solar fired electricity in the next 5 years.
According to reports, Nigeria’s population may face more challenging times ahead as electricity tariffs are projected to increase by over 40 percent in the near future.
This rise in tariffs could ultimately result in the elimination of all energy subsidies in the country.
Currently, the electricity sector relies on a monthly subsidy of approximately N50 billion, stemming from a shortfall in revenue.
The tariff hike, scheduled to take effect from July 1, will pose another significant test for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and its ongoing market reforms.
The government has already taken steps to remove subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and implemented a floating exchange rate for the national currency.
These decisions have added complexity to the price-setting process of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and its 2022 Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO).
Despite power sector players failing to meet the target of supplying a minimum of 5,000 megawatts, even after signing contracts with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the current Service Based Tariff (SBT) is based on an exchange rate of N441/$ and an inflation rate of 16.97 percent.
According to NERC’s directives in 2015, the average tariff for distribution companies (DisCos) and different categories of end-users was N25 per kilowatt, as per Order 198/2020, which came into effect on September 1, 2020.
However, in the MYTO for 2022, the average tariff increased to N60 per kilowatt across all customer categories, and in the most recent update, it stands at N64 per kilowatt.
The determination of the 2015 tariff relied on a foreign exchange rate of N198.97/$, which increased to N383.80/$ in 2020 and further to N441.78/$ in 2022. In terms of inflation, the 2015 MYTO utilized an 8.3 percent rate, which rose to 12 percent in 2020 and reached 16.97 percent in 2022.
Currently, the inflation rate stands at 22.41 percent, and experts predict it could reach 30 percent by the end of June, considering the floating of the naira and the removal of subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
The tariff determination process takes into account various factors, including the significant metering gap of over seven million, gas prices, losses within the system, and the actual generation capacity. These elements play a role in determining the final tariff.
As anticipated, NERC had projected that the tariff for July 2023 would eliminate subsidies and introduce increases to the previously frozen tariff bands D and E.
These adjustments were intended to raise the bands from N54.59/kilowatt to N62.16 for band D and from N48.37/kilowatt to N61.16 on average. Moreover, the average increase across all bands was expected to reach N67/kilowatt.
However, due to the ongoing floating of the naira and the significant inflationary pressures, it is now projected that the new average tariff will need to be approximately N88/kilowatt for the power sector to recover its costs.
According to energy lawyer Madaki Ameh, the continuous and frequent increases in power tariffs are akin to a form of blackmail against electricity consumers.
Amen said “Indexing the cost of electricity on the dollar is a huge mistake because most of the inputs for electricity supply are local. The DisCos are also holding Nigerians to ransom by failing to increase the supply base, thereby spreading the tariffs across a broader spectrum of consumers to reduce the unit cost of electricity.”
He insisted that as long as there remain many unmetered consumers and many others not connected to the grid at all, the few consumers on the grid would continue to be subjected to unjust tariffs, which are not reflective of the quality of service delivered.
Ameh hoped that the signing into law of the new Electricity Act would mark “the beginning of light at the end of the long tunnel of inefficient and epileptic power supply in Nigeria.”
Segun Ajibola, the former President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and a professor of Economics at Babcock University, highlighted that there remains a gap between the cost of electricity and the value it provides in exchange.
“Nigerians are still struggling to keep pace with the cost of energy for business and household use. If the electricity tariff goes up as envisaged, the question remains if there will be value for the quantum of electricity so paid for.
“The truth remains that if electricity supply is constant, of the right quantity and quality, the envisaged upward review in the tariff will be gladly absorbed by the populace,” he said.
Lanre Elatuyi, an Electricity Market Analyst, expressed that the recently implemented tariff rate would have significant implications. He emphasized that the devaluation of the Nigerian currency poses a major challenge for companies with dollar-denominated loans to repay.
He said “They will need more naira today to buy a dollar. They need to manage their exposure to foreign exchange risk. Even operators of hydro plants pay their concession fees in dollars. So, wholesale electricity price will be adjusted upward and this will get to the end users’ tariffs too.”
Senator Shehu Sani, a prominent Nigerian lawmaker has accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s government and state governors of secretly selling five power generating plants without disclosing the utilization of the funds received.
He disclosed this in his Twitter handle on Monday.
Senator Sani, known for his outspoken nature and activism expresses his concerns over the alleged undisclosed sale of the power plants.
He claimed that the government, in collaboration with state governors, had carried out the transactions without informing the Nigerian public about the purpose of the funds acquired from the sale.
The post reads “Buhari’s Government in collaboration with the State Governors quietly sold the five power generating plants without telling the country what the money was used for.
The Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has inaugurated the Afam 3 Fast Power 240-megawatt turbine project in Rivers State.
The project, which is a subsidiary of the Transcorp Group located in Oyigbo, on the outskirts of Port Harcourt in the state, was unveiled during a ceremony that took place on Tuesday.
The event, which was attended by several dignitaries, including the Chairman of Transcorp Group, Tony Elumelu, and other top officials, saw the Vice President arriving at the venue in a chopper at exactly 11:35 am.
Upon his arrival, he was escorted into the premises where he officially inaugurated the project.
During his speech at the event, he disclosed that the acquisition of the project was approved by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) and the acquisition cost was ₦105.3 trillion.
Osinbajo further emphasized that the successful completion of the project is a significant breakthrough in Nigeria’s power sector.
In his address, Osinbajo said, “In 2020, electricity subsidies reached N584 billion, but service-based tariffs have led to a doubling of collection in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry from N40 billion in 2020 to N80 billion in the first quarter of 2023.
“If this trajectory continues, the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry will be able to pay for itself. Our administration has also created programs for off-grid for electrification. Rural Electrification Agency now has the capacity to provide electricity supply on a first-class basis.
“We are on track to electrify all Nigerians in the next decade. However, we will not make progress if our gas supply does not improve. The gas supply challenges are hampering improvements.”
He further lauded General Electric, the National Council on Privatization (NCP), and the host communities for their contribution to the completion of the Afam 3 Fast Power 240-megawatt turbine project in Rivers State.
Osinbajo highlighted that the successful completion of the project will significantly increase the country’s power supply capacity, leading to a better quality of life for Nigerians.
In November 2020, the federal government and the Transcorp Power Consortium signed a share sale and purchase agreement in relation to Afam Power Plc and Afam 3 Fast Power Limited.
The National Council on Privatization approved the privatization of the Afam Power Plant back in August 2017, which triggered a competitive bidding process involving 12 prospective investors.
After careful consideration, Transcorp Power Consortium emerged as the preferred bidder with a combined offer of N105 billion.
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