Power sector crisis: Power has improved, peaked at over 7,796MW in April

Federal Government has said that mechanical availability is stable and has improved, peaking at over 7,796MW in early April, while operational availability rose from about 4,208MW to a peak of over 4,694MW.

In a statement, Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communications and Media, Bolaji Tunji, said that this an indication of enhanced efficiency in converting available gas into electricity.

“Despite minor fluctuations recorded on some days, the overall trajectory points to a gradual recovery in the power sector, driven largely by improved gas supply and better co-ordination among critical stakeholders,” Tunji said.

He emphasised that the strong correlation between gas availability and generation output underscores the importance of sustained interventions in the gas-to-power value chain, given Nigeria’s heavy reliance on thermal power plants.

To consolidate the gains recorded so far, Tunji disclosed that the minister recently inaugurated a Gas-to-Power Monitoring Committee to ensure improved co-ordination, real-time monitoring, and sustained gas supply to generating companies.

“The committee is expected to address bottlenecks in gas delivery, enhance synergy between gas producers and power generation companies, and ultimately guarantee a more stable and reliable electricity supply across the country.

“The minister remains committed to ensuring that the modest gains recorded are not only sustained but significantly improved upon in the coming weeks,” the Special Adviser, added.

He assured Nigerians that ongoing reforms and targeted interventions in the sector would continue to yield measurable improvements in power generation and supply, in line with the administration’s broader objective of stabilising the nation’s electricity sector.

“ We are not there yet, but we will continue to ensure measurable improvements” the minister said.

Meanwhile , the minister has urged the new management of Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) to focus on improving its Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR). The minister spoke during the visit of the newly- appointed Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the agency, Engineer Olusegun Adesayo and the Chairman of the Board, Ikechi Nwosu to his office at the weekend.

Adelabu said the agency should focus on improving IGR while reducing dependence on appropriation especially in funding their operational cost. He also urged the management to look into establishing more meter-testing centres across the country in order to enhance and improve on their role. While expressing confidence in the new management, he assured that the full board would be inaugurated this week.

“I have no doubt about your ability and I can also say that with your appointment by the president, you will do well. The president knows what he is doing by appointing you and any appointee of the president will have my full co-operation” he assured.

Decrying the dearth of manpower, especially meter installers, the minister reiterated his call for collaboration between the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) and NEMSA to tackle the issue.

“We need to ensure more installers are trained in order to accelerate the government’s plan to bridge the meter gap in the country. On meter- testing stations, he said: “We should plan towards having them in each of the geo-political zones. Having the working tools really matter. If you have the people, you have the office, you have the vehicle, but you do not have meter- testing centres, that is not good” Adelabu, noted.

The minister also informed the management of another meeting and a comprehensive retreat with the board as soon as possible.

He, however, urged Adesayo to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of the agency and list the challenges in order to know where to start from.

“I won’t lie to you, you can’t get everything sorted overnight. Though you may have the knowledge of what is happening and what the problems are, I can tell you those problems are still there but what matters is for you to have a full understanding of what the problems are and how to resolve them” he charged

Earlier, the Managing Director had informed the minister of his visit to the other agencies to get their support. He also spoke on the required support from the ministry in order to ensure the successful discharge of the agency ‘s responsibilities.