Amidst ongoing controversy over the new electricity tariff and against the backdrop of insufficient power supply, electricity generation plummeted to 2,775 megawatts (MW) yesterday, marking a significant 32.3% decrease from the 4,099.87MW recorded just last week.
This concerning data was released by the Nigeria Electricity System Operator (NESO), a semi-autonomous unit of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Consumers lament that there has been no improvement in the power value chain despite the recent review of Band A power consumers’ billing. Power generating companies (GenCos) disclosed that among the multi-faceted challenges fueling epileptic power supply, inadequate supply of gas to the thermal stations and the poor state of transmission lines stand out. Currently, the GenCos can only boast of a generation average of 4,200 megawatts, which is significantly insufficient for Nigeria’s 12 million electricity consumers.
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To make matters worse, the incessant collapse of the national power grid has characterized electricity supply over the past three years. The national power grid collapsed 46 times from 2017 to 2023, according to a report by the International Energy Agency.
This situation has hampered the full utilization of the 4,200MW. Information from the Independent System Operator (ISO) indicated that load allocation to the eleven Distribution Companies (DisCos) stood at 2,775.00 Megawatts as of 6 pm yesterday.
Notably, Abuja Disco received the highest allocation at 428MW, followed by Ikeja Electric at 422MW, Eko Disco at 359MW, Ibadan Disco at 335MW, Benin Disco at 227MW, and Enugu Disco at 200MW. The distribution companies with the lowest allocation were Yola Disco at 79MW, Jos Disco at 158MW, Kaduna Disco at 181MW, Kano Disco at 188MW, and Port Harcourt Disco at 198MW.
This inadequate generation for transmission and distribution has compelled DISCOs to implement load shedding, spreading the limited electricity to consumers at different times.
Daily Times reported that there has been a daily post of apologies by the DisCos for not meeting the contractual agreement for supplying electricity to their customers as provided in the new Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO), April supplementary order. The DisCos have reportedly issued 37 Apologies To Band A Customers In 1 Week.
This backdrop comes in light of the promises of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, to provide Nigerians with adequate power supply by resolving the power sector’s challenges. Speaking on Channel Television’s Politics Today, Adelabu pledged that the country would generate 6,000MW of electricity in the next six months.
He acknowledged the current generation and transmission of over 4,000MW but highlighted minor distribution issues.
“We are currently at a little over 4,000MW today. We are working tirelessly day and night to ensure that we can ramp up generation to 6,000MW for the first time in the history of this country.
“We have an installed capacity of 13,000MW across the hydropower plants and the thermal plants. But for certain reasons, we have not been able to generate more than a little over 4,000MW. But we are going to change the narrative in this administration.
“In the next six months, Nigerians should expect not less than 6,000MW of power generated; and this 6,000MW will be successfully transmitted to Nigerians and it will be distributed to Nigerians,” the minister stated.
This assurance comes at the back of a warning by Adelabu that DisCos failing to supply 20 hours of electricity to customers under Band A would face accountability and appropriate sanctions.
While the Minister’s statements are believed to reflect the government’s ambitious targets to provide immediate solutions to Nigeria’s power crisis, the persistent challenges in generation, transmission, and distribution, underscore that the path to achieving stable and sufficient electricity remains fraught with obstacles.