Power Sector And Other Related News Stories For Monday 14th November 2022
Abuja to Get First Mega Transformer, as FG Boost Transmission by 1000MW
The nation’s capital, Abuja, will be the first recipient of the super transmission transformers ordered by the Federal Government from Siemens under the Presidential Power Initiative, PPI.
The Minister of Power, Engr Abubakar Aliyu who disclosed this at the weekend while inspecting transmission projects in the Federal Capital Territory, said the mega transformer will be installed in Abuja next week.
Engr. Aliyu said the government plans to improve the transmission capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, with an additional 1000MW through the Abuja Ring Project.
Aliyu, who inspected the Abuja Ring Projects in company of the Managing Director of TCN, Engr. Sule Abdulaziz, said that the projects which are six in number were made up of lines and substations.
He said the Abuja ring project is funded through a $170 million loan from the French Development Agency.
He stated that “The project is about six and they are over 90 per cent completed and hope to be completed November, December, the contractor is chasing the completion date and when completed it will increase power supply in Abuja and environ.
FG Boosts Transmission by 1,000mw
The Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, has said that the six power substations nearing completion in various locations in the Federal Capital Territory would boost electricity transmission by over 1,000 megawatts.
He also said the 700 megawatts Zungeru Hydropower Project in Niger State would have been completed since January but was stalled by insecurity in the area.
Aliyu, in company of the Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Abdulaziz, and officials of Federal Ministry of Power and TCN, disclosed this as they inspected the substations on Friday ahead of the proposed inauguration of some of them next month.
The Minister, who spoke to journalists during the inspection tour, said the projects would grow the wheeling capacity of TCN by over 1,000MW.
“This is a TCN project and is called the Abuja Ring Project. This project, which is about six, combining lines and substations, has a brand new substation in Gwarimpa that will be completed this month or in December.
“Once completed, it will increase the capacity of TCN. In all, we have six of these projects, and they’ll increase the wheeling capacity of the transmission company by over 1,000MW.”
https://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2022/11/13/electricity-fg-boosts-transmission-by-1000mw/
NEMSA Working to Ensure Reliable Power Supply — Official
The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency ( NEMSA) has reiterated its commitment to ensure that Nigerians have efficient, safe and reliable power supply services.
In a statement issued by the Public Affairs Department on Sunday in Abuja , NEMSA said it was also effectively discharging its statutory mandate.
The agency said that its management under the leadership of the Managing Director, Mr Aliyu Tahir, was working round the clock to ensure that Nigerians have more stable power supply services.
It said this would be achieved through ensuring that electrical materials and equipment are of high quality.
The statement recalled that the agency was established by NEMSA Act, 2015 and charged with the responsibility to carry out the functions of enforcement of technical standards and regulations, technical Inspection, testing and certification of all categories of electrical installations, electricity meters and instruments.
It said the step was to ensure an efficient production and delivery of safe, reliable and sustainable electricity power supply and guarantee safety of lives and property in the Nigerian electricity supply industry ( NESI) and other allied industries, workplaces and premises.
https://nigerianobservernews.com/2022/11/nemsa-working-to-ensure-reliable-power-supply-official/
Power Firm, Tertiary Institution Feud Over Outage
Authorities of Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi State and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) are at loggerheads over power supply, especially a faulty 2.5MVA transformer that has resulted in a 42-day outage.
Amid rising cost of energy, the institution said the situation was posing a serious threat to academic activities.
The tertiary body, in a statement, yesterday, said while the damaged transformer has served for over 20 years, the outage had made lives unbearable with students forced students to stay at home.
The management insisted that supply remained sacrosanct for lighting, and pumping of water to hostels, offices, libraries and others.
While decrying the cost of running a diesel generator daily, the school appealed to the Federal Government to prevail on relevant quarters to replace the faulty transformer to avoid it faltering on mobilising graduates for the compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
According to the management, AEDC generates between N3 and N5 million monthly from the institution and as such, should give priority to the school.
https://guardian.ng/news/power-firm-tertiary-institution-feud-over-outage/
Vaccine Manufacturers to Rely on Solar-Powered Generators as Backup – Minister
Local vaccine manufacturers will have to rely on solar-powered generators as back-up, pending when electricity situation will improve in the country.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said this during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) ministerial forum in Abuja.
He was reacting to President Muhammadu Buhari’s position during visit to South Korea in October, where he expressed the country’s readiness to become a global hub for manufacturing and distribution of vaccines.
The president also called for speedy take-off of local production of mRNA vaccines.
While addressing the World Bio Summit 2022 too, Buhari again pledged commitment to the global response to known or emerging pathogens, including the global vaccine assurance ecosystem and equitable access for all.
These were after the World Health Organisation (WHO) selected Nigeria as one of six African countries to receive the technology needed to produce the vaccines.
The minister, who explained that government had done a lot in trying to manage the electricity situation in the country, emphasised that electricity is critical to vaccines production.
He added that “as far as vaccine is concerned, manufacturers will have to rely on backup power generators.
Talentcity Energy’s Skills Acquisition Programme’ll Boost Quest for Renewable Energy – CEO
Talentcity Energy, a renewable energy development company, says it is committed to bridging the skills gap in the renewable energy sector so as to contribute to the realisation of the Renewable Energy Master Plan (REMP).
Its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Olatayo Ajiboye, in a statement on Sunday in Lagos, said that the firm would continue to support government’s economic development efforts.
Ajiboye said that the firm was ramping up its youth empowerment programme with three trainings scheduled for the rest of the year.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Talentcity Energy is one of Nigeria’s major players in the renewable energy sector which is fast building a reputation as a one-stop shop for skills acquisition.
It has been involved in the training of Nigerian youths as solar installers, energy auditors, system analysts and designers, as well as in energy cost and management.
According to him, the sector has an estimated market value of nine billion dollar per annum in Nigeria “just for the solar home systems and mini grids”.
He added that the skills acquisition programme would also contribute to national development as it would address the obvious gap between the demand for solar home systems and the shortage of experts to handle projects for homes and businesses.
ZESA Defends Electricity Tariff Hike
ZESA Holdings has defended the approval of a 50% increase in the electricity tariff to US$0.1221/kWh from US$0.08/kWh saying it was meant to ensure an uninterrupted supply to miners and industry.
Mining companies say the hike threatens the attainment of the US$12 billion mining industry.
However, Howard Choga, the managing director of the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), a subsidiary of ZESA, said for the past twenty years, the power utility had been operating below cost. Choga said:
Electricity supply challenges are sitting on top of the challenges that the miners are facing.
The mining industry believes that electricity charges are very expensive; they want them to be lowered from the current US$0.1221/kWh to US$0.1026/kWh.
But the challenge is for us to find what is needed to correct the anomaly.
What I can tell you is that we are behind in terms of refurbishment and rehabilitation of the network to the tune of about US$2bn.
This is actually occasioned by the fact that for the past 20 years we have been operating below cost.
https://news.pindula.co.zw/2022/11/13/zesa-defends-electricity-tariff-hike/
Uk Town’s Pavement Generates Electricity When Pedestrians Walk On It
Wondering how to charge your mobile phones when you are outside and not carrying a power bank? In an interesting news, a town in the United Kingdom has a new bouncy pavement which can generate electricity from people’s footsteps to power two nearby public charging points, as per a report in BBC.
The pavement is located in Telford, the largest town in Shropshire. The mobile phone chargers are installed into a nearby bench and are powered by electricity generated by people using the Station Way bouncy part while walking or running.
As per the outlet, Councillor Carolyn Healy said it was an “engaging” way to show how clean electricity can be generated. She said, “In Telford the pavement will make people much more aware about climate change issues… because this is something that is engaging, you can walk across it when you’re coming back off the train into Telford, you can see the screen will pop up and tell you the energy you’re creating.”
