Yesterday at Abuja, The Federal Government said, that the effort to improve power supply across the country was back on track, after about two months of challenges that led to the collapse of the national grid thrice within a month.
The government said it expected the grid to deliver a minimum of 4,500 Megawatts of power daily.
However, checks by Vanguard on grid supply as at 1 pm yesterday, showed that 17 generation plants were delivering 3,072MW to the grid, with Azura-Edo (393MW), Geregu Gas (390MW), Jebba Hydro (328MW), Egbin (317MW) and Kainji Hydro (303MW) among the top generators.
Speaking at a Power Sector Recovery Programme, PSRP, workshop for journalists in Abuja, Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Sanusi Garba, said consumers would soon begin to see changes in electricity supply.
Sanusi noted that failure to review the tariff in the past threatened the viability of the sector, adding that things are now much better, with services expected to improve.
He said: “The Federal Government initiated the PSRP with the support of the World Bank to achieve the goal of Nigerians having access to adequate, reliable and affordable electricity in Nigeria.
“Notwithstanding the electric power supply industry is now private sector driven, its relevance to economic growth and industrial development will require strategic government interventions.
“At this developmental stage, the industry’s challenges require that hands be on the deck to achieve an efficient and effective electric power supply industry that we desire for our economic development.”
Sanusi pointed out that despite the challenges faced by the sector, “all the stakeholders involved in this power sector recovery programme are very much on track and are ready to do what we all need to do, both in terms of financial performance by the distribution companies and the issue of the off-taker.”
Also speaking, Belije Madu of the PSRP Secretariat explained that the PSRP new 4,500MW minimum grid supply was expected to have commenced at the beginning of the year, but has not been attained due to generation challenges.
He explained that the PSRP “includes a set of measures to ensure that a minimum 4,500MWh/hour of electricity is supplied to the distribution grid from 2022. This is the minimum level of supply necessary for grid stability and the reduction of system outage.”.
He also disclosed that the government planned to clear all outstanding debts resulting from tariff shortfall over the years by December this year.