BREAKING NEWS, Power
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As a way of further boosting its reform of the power sector, the federal government is seriously considering the plan to privatise electricity transmission infrastructure and ultimately break its monopoly
| By Anayo Ezugwu | Jun. 30, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT
THE federal government is planning to privatise the country’s electricity transmission infrastructure in the wake of continuing drop in electricity generation and distribution in the country. The planned privatisation is coming eight months after it handed over the generation and distribution companies to private investors. The federal government said the move, was to boost power supply by bringing in private investors considered to be more efficient, to manage the transmission assets.
Godknows Igali, permanent secretary, federal ministry of power, disclosed the government’s privatisation plan at the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Power Training Institute and Schneider Electric in Abuja. “The power sector is undergoing an open revolution. What has happened in Nigeria is something that has not happened in any other place in the world, where the entire distribution and generation outfits have been privatised by the government. Even in transmission, we are now opening the window for its privatisation so that the private sector can come in by bringing their creativity, versatility and drive for performance. We know the journey has started slowly but steadily,” he said.
According to Igali, the power sector was at its transition phase and stressed that the new owners were still settling down after eight months of their takeover of the generation and distribution firms. “They are expanding, putting new capacities in place, upgrading, bringing money into the system and replacing some installations to make them more efficient. These are little disruptions and it may seem as if we are not yet moving forward but actually, we are moving forward and we will soon arrive at a comfortable cruising level where Nigerians will see the desired change,” adding that the signing of the MoU between NAPTIN and Schneider was for the training of Nigerian electrical engineers.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria is in charge of the transmission system, which is being managed by Manitoba Hydro International, a Canadian firm with expertise in electricity equipment management. The federal government, in March last year, while formally handing over the TCN to Manitoba, ordered it to halt the incessant systemic collapses that had characterised the country’s power transmission infrastructure.
Reuben Okeke, director-general, NAPTIN, said the MoU would greatly boost the institute’s drive to ensure adequate training for engineers in the power sector. According to him, Schneider would train instructors who would, in-turn, train technicians involved in professional wiring of houses to avoid fire accidents.
Okeke said NAPTIN currently has over 600 engineers who are being trained and explained that the collaboration would produce the knowledgeable manpower needed to drive developments in the sector.
Meanwhile, delegates at the ongoing National Conference on Monday, June 16, voted that President Goodluck Jonathan should declare a state of emergency in the nation’s power sector to complement the efforts of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. They also demanded the full implementation of Electricity Reform Bill.
In their votes on the recommendations and amendments at the plenary, the delegates agreed that the government’s policy should encourage low energy light bulbs, but rejected an amendment that it should set aside at least 60 percent oil revenue for Capital Development Fund.
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