Lagos set to generate electricity from garbage

The Lagos State Government has proposed a new model in its approach to environmental waste management, The Punch reports.

According to the state government, Olusosun, a popular landfill that has been a dumping ground for years, will soon become a model for the urban renewal and waste to wealth initiatives being undertaken by the state.

The Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, while announcing the inauguration of the ‘Cleaner Lagos Initiative’, said the government was committed to finding renewable energy sources for the grossly underserved parts of the state.

Adejare said that five new power stations, one in each division of the state, would be built to generate electricity from waste, and that the numerous dumpsites dotting the state would soon be a thing of the past.

FG secures $1.3bn hydro power plant deal with China ExIm Bank

The Federal Government, in partnership with the China ExIm Bank, will spend about $1.3bn on the construction of the 700 megawatt-capacity Zungeru hydroelectric power plant project, The Punch reports.

The Vice President, Power China Internationale Group Ltd., Mr Tian Haihua, on Thursday in Zungeru said that the project, when completed, would generate 700 megawatts and would start generating power by 2019. He also commended the Niger state government for providing a peaceful atmosphere for the smooth take off of the project

The state Commissioner for Works and Housing, Alhaji Abdulmalik Cheche, said that the state government would continue to ensure a peaceful atmosphere for the successful completion of the project. He said that the project would go a long way in providing job opportunities for the unemployed youths in the state.

FG provides water usage permit for 300MW Itobe coal power plant

The federal government has approved the license for 300 megawatts (MW) Itobe-1 coal power plant to use 1125 cubic meters per hour (m3/h) of water from the River Niger for its expected power generation, ThisDay reports.

An approval certificate for the water usage was given to the promoters of the plant – Zuma Energy, in Abuja by the Executive Director of Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC), Mr. Reuben Habu.

Habu said when he handed over the certificate to the Group Head, Administration and General Services of Zuma Energy, Mr. Ugo Agbanusi that Zuma filed a request for the license in 2015, after which its request was evaluated and the permit issued to it.

4,541 Mw from 10 NIPP plants frustrated by gas supply – BPE

The non-availability of gas supply to the 10 thermal power plants has been identified as the bane of the National Independent Power Project (NIPP), in getting 4,541 megawatts of electricity into the national grid, Leadership reports.

Acting Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) Vincent Akpotaire, disclosed this at the opening of the investigation into the alleged non-transparent and fraudulent sale of power assets at the National Assembly complex, Abuja, where some aggrieved bidders including Power Grid of India, accused BPE of disqualifying other bidders and appointing Manitoba Hydro International (MHI) under questionable circumstances.

While giving a breakdown of the privatisation of the generation, distribution and transmission segments of the unbundled PHCN assets, Akpotarie disclosed that Nigeria requires a sum of $12 billion to generate 180,000MWs between now and 2030 for the country to break out of the circle of power poverty. He added that, between 2012 to 2014, the sum of $5 billion was spent on self power generation which could have added 5,000MWs to the country’s power requirements.

Cummins plans CNG stations, additional 450Mw to grid

Chairman of Cummins Cogeneration and CEO of Powergas Africa, Mr Deepak Khilnani, has said the company would add 450 MW of electricity to the National Grid in Nigeria, over 10 percent of the nation’s current electricity production, Oriental News reports.

The additional power coming in the next three years is to support government’s efforts in dealing with epileptic power supply. Khilnani said that with more regular piped gas outages, Powergas Africa has fast-tracked the construction of some new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations to meet demand in the West, East and Middle Belt of Nigeria.

“We want to take gas to the North. Moreover, Powergas is developing a portfolio approach whereby if gas outage occurs in one region, we will still be able to deliver gas to our customers by operating multiple CNG mother stations,” said Deepak Khilnani.

Confident of an economic revival in Nigeria, Powergas is building 2 new compression and liquefaction stations by 2018, with enough CNG and LNG to generate 500 MW of electricity at power plants across Nigeria where the pipeline does not reach. In other words, the ‘virtual pipeline’ offering provides natural gas to clients who are not connected to the pipeline.

Brazil launches revolutionary plan to float solar panels at hydroelectric dam

Brazil has decided to place thousands of floating solar panels on a reservoir that was created by one of the country’s most notorious dams.

The renewable power project, which is located deep in the Amazon rainforest, could eventually generate enough electricity to power hundreds of thousands of homes. It’s technology could be replicated in other parts of the world with hydroelectric projects that are under-utilized.

“What happened here, was one of the worst environmental crimes that engineers committed in this country,” Brazil’s Energy Minister, Eduardo Braga, said during a visit to the reservoir and new solar power site. “How are we going to mitigate the cost of this crime? By improving the benefits of this dam.”

The Balbina Dam is located near the city of Manaus, in the middle of the Amazon. When the dam was built in the 1980s it flooded an area of pristine rainforest that is three times the size of New York City, forcing hundreds of indigenous people to leave their homes.

Despite having such a huge environmental impact, the hydroelectric plant currently produces just 50 megawatts of power, or about enough electricity to power 90,000 homes.

Brazilian officials are hoping that their floating solar panels will boost the dam’s capabilities and help to provide enough electricity for half a million homes. The solar panels, the first ever to be floated on a hydroelectric reservoir, will use the dam’s current infrastructure to connect with Brazil’s national power grid.

“We are going to transform hydroelectric plants that have been limited by [dry] weather, in plants without limitations, because they will also produce solar power,” Orestes Goncalvez, the president of energy company Sunlution, told AFP.

Hydroelectric projects in Brazil’s Amazon have met tough resistance from indigenous communities and environmental activists who argue that the construction of huge dams threatens rainforests and brings more settlers into these sparsely inhabited areas.

But the Brazilian government has pushed ahead with some of these initiatives, arguing that the country needs to find stable sources of energy.

Currently the Brazilian government is planning to build a hydroelectric power plant in the eastern Amazon, known as the Belo Monte dam. The project would flood 400 square kilometers, or an area that is about one-fifth of the size of the Balbina reservoir. Belomonte would be the world’s fourth-largest dam though, producing at least eighty times more power than Balbina.

“There is a big difference there in cost benefit ratio,” the Energy Minister said during his visit to the new solar panel site.

Solar firm Lumos Global raises $90m for expansion in Nigeria, others

Nigeria-focused off-grid solar installer Lumos Global said on Thursday it has raised some USD 90 million (EUR 85m) in financing, most of which came from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), SeeNews. Renewables reports.

Lumos plans to use the fresh capital to expand in Nigeria, where it sees high demand for its solar systems, and into other countries. The company will be rolling out the service to homes, small businesses and community service centres such as hospitals, churches and mosques, it said.

Lumos has a partnership with Nigerian mobile telecommunications company MTN thanks to which its customers have the opportunity to pay for their solar systems using mobile phone credit. According to Lumos, this is the sector’s largest ever investment.

Petrocam opens its 3rd solar-powered filling station in Lagos

Petrocam Nigeria Limited, a leading downstream operator, has opened its third solar-powered filling station in Lagos on Thursday, ThisDay reports.

Located along Egbe-Isolo road in Ejigbo local government area of the state, it witnessed huge traffic of motorists in the first hour of operation. Managing Director, Petrocam Nigeria Limited, Mr. Patrick Ilo, said his company has embarked on solar-powered filling stations in the country to reduce dependence on the national grid for electricity.

He noted that his firm leverages on the renewable energy source to power its filling stations for constant growth. Ilo said having recorded success stories from the two previous filling stations that are situated in Igando and Lekki- Ajah Expressway, both in Lagos, his company was happy to expand.

Lagos plans to generate 3,000 Mw off grid

The Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Olawale Oluwo, has expressed the commitment of the Lagos State Government to generate 3,000 megawatts off the grid within the next five to seven years, stating that they are working with regulators and stakeholders in the power sector to actualise this vision and ensure that Lagos does not depend entirely on Niger-Delta gas, ThisDay reports.

Oluwo who disclosed this yesterday in Lagos at the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) annual power and utilities roundtable, explained that in actualising the 3,000 megawatts, they are looking at bringing conventional fossil fuel energy, while also focusing on renewable energy, “but not all the renewable particularly for solar, because we don’t have the space for extensive solar installation. Therefore we must go for those that will optimise the land size that we have.”

Oluwo stated that they are also considering the wind option with the embed power plants, adding that the regulators are aware that the pricing available for power is not cost reflective, therefore they may be willing to increase the tariff at this time, however they have to accept the willing buyer and seller option.

40MW Kashimbilla hydro project to be completed soon – Fashola

The Federal Government has assured of its readiness to make adequate budgetary provisions towards ensuring the speedy completion of the 40 megawatts Kashimbilla Hydro power project in Taraba State, Vanguard reports.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said during a working visit to the project site located in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State, that the power project will not be abandoned. Fashola noted that the visit afforded him the opportunity to take stock of what has been done and what has been left undone.

He said the plant will not again suffer neglect as all would be done to ensure timely release of funds within the next two budget cycles, setting the target of 2018 for the completion of the project. He promised to ensure full realization of the project within the new time-frame.

Nigeria can generate 17,500MW in 5 years from coal – Ex Perm Sec

Retired Federal Permanent Secretary and Managing Director/Chief Executive, Favour Oil & Gas Limited, Chief Robert Usman Audu in an interview with Vanguard has argued that Nigeria’s dream of industrialisation lies in a return to coal-fired electricity plants from where Nigerian can generate 17,500 MW in three to five years, with minimum investment.

He said if Nigeria is to industrialise, it must do what other industrialised nations of the world have done to ensure adequate electricity supply. He noted that coal is the main source of power generation in countries like U S A, Germany, China, Japan, India and South Africa. He said Nigeria has coal deposits in 18 states of the federation and that coal deposits in Nigeria can last for 200 years.

He said; “Electricity from coal is very cheap compared to hydro, gas or solar. Therefore, if we build coal-fired power plants, electricity would become cheaper for all categories of consumers. The problem of epileptic power supply would be permanently addressed because issues of low water levels or vandalism of gas pipelines won’t be there.”

He urged the Federal Government to start with four coal powered projects beginning with Kogi with 5000 MW, Benue 5000 MW, Enugu 5000 MW and Gombe 2500 MW. The plants should take between three to five years to complete and should be able to contribute 17,500MW from the pilot scheme.

Mini-grids best for electrifying rural commodities in Nigeria, others

Experts have said that rural electrification can improve the quality of life by increasing economic activity necessary for rural economic development in sub-Saharan Africa, Vanguard reports.

According to a report by Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBF) “A mini-grid is an enabler of rural industrial development, through enabling productive use of electricity for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).” The report also said that in the past, most national Governments in sub-Saharan Africa have prioritised the grid extension approach for rural electrification. However, progress often stayed very slow due to the remoteness of many areas and the costly investment required for grid extension and large-scale central power plant development.

According to the report, “in some cases, the rate of electrification was even lower than population growth. Mini-grids are therefore seeing a surge in interest as governments and private developers take stock of the socio-economic implications of large unelectrified rural populations, national grid extension costs and the potential for innovative public-private partnerships to deliver commercially sustainable, effective, reliable, ‘green’ power to improve rural livelihoods.

Nigus consortium to build N183bn solar power plants in the North

A consortium of renewable energy companies led by Nigus has concluded plans with the Federal Government to build five solar power plants worth N183bn ($600m) in some North-Eastern states, The Punch reports.

According to the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) and the consortium, each of the solar power plants will have capacity to generate 100 megawatts of electricity. The Head, Overseas Operations, NIPC, Mr. Abubakar Yerima, stated that the decision to build the power plants in the North was reached after several meetings with the investors, which also included German firm; LTI Re Energy.

On the cost of the projects, Yerima stated, “It is about $600m investment and it is completely a private sector driven initiative. All the investments are coming from the private sector. Where the Federal Government comes in has to do with the licences and permits as well as all other forms of facilitation needed for a smooth process.”

World's first zero-emission hydrogen train to begin operations in Germany

The world's first hydrogen powered, emission-free train is set to go into service in Germany in 2017 -- a ground-breaking innovation that could signal the phasing out of heavily polluting, diesel-powered trains. The first "hydrail", or hydrogen-powered train, will begin transporting passengers on the Buxtehude-Bremervörde-Bremerhaven-Cuxhaven line in Lower Saxony, in northern Germany, in December 2017, German newspaper Die Welt reported. Although the first train in operation will only run a short, 60-mile (96-kilometer) route, four German states have signed an agreement with Alstom, the French company that builds the trains, for the purchase of up to 60 additional locomotives, if they are judged a success.

"Alstom is proud to launch a breakthrough innovation in the field of clean transportation," Alstom chairman and CEO, Henri Poupart-Lafarge, said in a statement.

"It shows our ability to work in close collaboration with our customers and develop a train in only two years."

Quiet revolution

The new, silent train, called the Coradia iLint, was unveiled by Alstom at a railway industry trade fair in Berlin earlier this year, and only emits steam and condensed water.

Although not suitable for electric railway lines, it's designed to provide a clean alternative to the large number of heavily polluting diesel trains that run on non-electric lines throughout Europe.

Germany alone has more than 4,000 diesel-powered train cars, according to Alstom, and about 20% of all of Europe's current rail traffic is hauled by diesel locomotives according to the European Union.

The train uses the same equipment as a diesel train but runs on an entirely new technology that uses hydrogen -- a waste product of the chemical industry -- as the fuel source.

Energy to power the train is generated by large fuel cells that sits on top of the train. This cell combines hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity, which is then stored in batteries.

Each two-car train-set requires a fuel cell and a 207 pound (94kg) tank of hydrogen to supply it, while the oxygen is obtained from the local air. The train can complete a 500 mile (800 kilometer) journey on a full tank of hydrogen, which is enough for one day according to Alstom, and carries up to 300 passengers.

Although the 87 miles per hour (140 kilometers per hour) speed the train reaches is far below that of other European trains, such as the German Inter-city Express and French TGV, it is well suited to the quieter and shorter stretches of the European rail network that haven't yet been converted to electricity.

Initial tests on the two pre-production trains that were unveiled at the trade show will be completed by the end of the year, according to Alstom.

The two units will then undergo further testing throughout 2017, prior to their expected approval for operation by Germany's Federal Railway Office at the end of that year.

Niger state, Vyonare Development Ltd sign MoU for 50Mw solar plant

The Niger state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vyonare Development Limited for the construction of a $100 million, 50 megawatts solar plant in the state, The Nation reports.

According to the state Commissioner for information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, the solar plant will be constructed at Ragba, along Mokwa – Jebba road in Mokwa local government area of the state.

Vatsa said that the solar plant will go a long way in addressing the recent lapses of the three hydro electricity power stations in the state and complement the federal government’s efforts at stabilizing the epileptic power supply challenges.

Vyonare Development Limited’s Engineer Segun Ajayi stated that the project would be fully funded by the company while the Niger state government would provide the enabling environment for the smooth take off of the project and facilitate all necessary processes needed for its actualization.

South Korean firm to build 550Mw gas power plant in Cross River

A South Korean firm, Kingline Integrated Power Development Limited, has expressed its readiness to build a 550 Megawatts gas fired power plant in Cross River State, Vanguard reports.

Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Sean Kim, dropped the hint when he led a delegation from the firm on a courtesy visit to the governor, Senator Ben Ayade, in Government House, Calabar, yesterday.

He said: “We have already done some preliminary checks in Cross River State and the proposed sites meet all of the requirements, which is why we are here today.”

“The next phase will be the application for a generation licence, initiating processes for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and preparations for the project, among other necessary bureaucratic processes,” he added.

Gurara hydro power plant to generate 30Mw of electricity – Fashola

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said that the completion of the Gurara Hydro Power Plant in Kaduna State would generate an additional 30 megawatts of electricity, The Punch reports.

Fashola spoke on Friday in Kaduna when he visited the Gurara Dam project to assess the level of work. Fashola said the current administration was determined to increase the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the country using an energy mix.

He said; “But you see that your country is developing wind power in Katsina, it is developing hydro power here in Kaduna. It is developing hydro power in Kasibila, we have been to Jebba, we have been to Kainji, Shiroro, slowly the energy mix is coming together.”

He said that government would soon complete and begin the evacuation of electricity from the plant, adding that approval has been granted by the Federal Executive Council to complete the Gurara- Kudanda substation. He expressed the hope that the project would be completed early next year.

40Mw Kashimbila dam to provide electricity to communities in 6 states – Fashola

Minister of Power, Works, and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, Thursday visited the 40MW Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam Project in Taraba State assuring that when completed, the Dam would serve the multiple purpose of protecting parts of the country from a predicted ecological disaster, provide electricity and support agricultural ventures in surrounding States of the Northeast, NTA reports.

Fashola, said specifically as regards electricity that the project was conceived in about 2007 to provide electricity to the surrounding communities of six states in the country. The Minister named the states to include Taraba, Benue, Cross River, Delta and Kogi on the route of the tributaries of the Katsina-Ala River. According to him, what the communities have presently is a 33KV line that transmits energy across 80, 90 to 100 and above kilometers adding that by the time the energy ultimately gets to the communities, it is not effective resulting in what is often referred to as “low current.”

Assuring that the project would solve all of the problems, Fashola, however, regretted that the contracting firm has not been paid for about two or three years adding that the project had just been put into the budget. He said, “We have approved payment for the contractor and I have now come to see what we are paying for to ensure that the project is delivered”. “A lot of progress will be made between now and early 2018 latest, by 2018 this project would have achieved all of its objectives: protection, energy, agric, and water supply”, he added.

ABU partners Hungarian firm on 1.2mw bio-ethanol, bio-gas plant

The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, in collaboration with a Hungarian company, has concluded arrangements to generate power from farm produce and human waste, Daily Trustreports.

Vice Chancellor of the university Professor Ibrahim Garba said that the independent power generation became imperative because ABU could not sustain the N86 million monthly electricity bills.

He said;  “ABU seeks to address these issues by building a bio-ethanol and biogas plant. The university has found a partner and reached agreement with Agrar-Biothanol Company of Hungary to undertake this project.”

“On completion, the plant will produce about 2.66 million litres of ethanol per annum, 1,333 tonnes of liquid organic fertilizer per annum and 1.2mw electricity,” he added.

Ebonyi to generate 5.5mw of electricity from rice husk biomass plant

The government of Ebonyi State is to purchase a 5.5-megawatt biomass plant from Germany which would utilise rice husk and other available waste materials to generate electricity, Vanguard reports.

The governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, disclosed this after inspecting two of the three state-owned rice modern mills. Umahi said the plant would arrive the country in the next four months.

The inspection visit took the governor to Iboko in Izzi Local Government Area and Ikwo where he inspected the condition of the facilitates and said that one megawatt of rice husk plant and another 500 kilowatts would also arrive the state soon.

Paris based firm to build two solar plants in Northern Nigeria

GreenWish Partners, a Paris-based investment company focused on renewable energy in sub-Saharan Africa, plans to build two solar plants in northern Nigeria with a total capacity of 100 megawatts, Bloomberg reports.

The construction of the two 50 megawatts facilities will start next year and is expected to cost $130 million to $150 million, Chief Executive Officer Charlotte Aubin-Kalaidjian said in a telephone interview from the French capital. One of the plants will be located in Kaduna state, she said, declining to mention where the second site would be. Both plants will be connected to the national grid, she said.

“Nigeria is a very interesting market as it presents all the characteristics we’re looking for with regard to energy,” Aubin-Kalaidjian said. “There’s a high dependence on fuel oil and diesel, which are expensive and unreliable sources of energy, and there’s a political will to develop solar energy, especially in the northern regions where gas is less available.”

Galma multipurpose dam set to generate 2.2Mw of electricity – FG

The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu on Friday said that the completed Galma multipurpose dam would provide over 1.1 million opportunities for people living around it, The Nation reports.

Adamu said this during an inspection tour of the dam in Kaduna state. He stated that the dam could also generate 2.2 megawatts of electricity and supply water to 2.2 million people in the surrounding communities and Zaria.

A statement issued by the ministry in Abuja on Thursday said the building of the dam, which has reached 100 per cent completion, started in 2006.

FG kicks off solar power supply to 40 federal universities

The federal government in conjunction with the German Energy Partnership Project on Thursday in Ibadan, Oyo State, formally flagged off its independent power supply initiative to all the 40 federal universities in the country with the ground-breaking ceremony of a 10-Mega Watts Solar Power Plant at the University of Ibadan, ThisDay reports.

Performing the ceremony on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari at the Ajibode Extension location of the University of Ibadan, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Anthony Gozie Anwukah, described the event as “a historic occasion in the life of the university and of our nation” adding that it is in line with the national energy policy.

The minister remarked that the federal government, in its bid to replicate the gesture to all the 40 federal universities in Nigeria, envisaged that this should be achieved through the utilisation of off-grid Independent Power Plants (IPPs) which falls under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative.

Jigawa solar power plant to generate 80Mw

A Norwegian company, Novia Scotia Power Development Limited, on Monday said the proposed solar power plant in Dutse, Jigawa, would generate 80 megawatts of electricity when completed, The Punch reports.

The company’s Managing Director, Mr. Amit Modi, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen shortly after paying a courtesy call on the State Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru in Dutse.

Modi assured that the project would be completed and handed over in 2018. He said that the 150 million dollars project would be transmitted to the national grid when completed.

Nigeria: NERC favours mini grid regulation

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission approves the adoption of mini grids to boost electricity supply to households, businesses and institutions in the country.

Last week, through a Draft Mini Grid Regulation 2016, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) stated that electricity distribution companies could now use mini grids as a bridge technology to accelerate their electrification activities, reports the Financial Watch.

According to the media, the Commission said the mini grid regulation was specifically designed to fast-track electrification in areas without any existing distribution grid.

The regulation is also intended for areas with an existing but poorly electrified or non-functional distribution grid, such as rural areas, NERC stated.

“If the power distributed by the isolated mini grid is larger than 100kW, the mini grid developer will need to apply for a mandatory permit. If the generation capacity of the power station installed is larger than 1MW, the plant is not a mini grid under this regulation and other regulations apply,”NERC explained.

Mini grid regulation for cost-reflective tariffs

Media also reported that, to promote this initiative, the Commission indicated that cost-reflective retail tariffs would be utilised.

NERC, however, added that tariffs would be higher than the current electricity distribution company’s retail tariffs but also noted that the tariffs would be lower than any electricity supply of the same quality generated from conventional sources in such areas.

“This regulation is suitable for any business model or technology that mini grid operators may wish to implement,” the Commission said.

It added: “The Discos [distribution companies] stand to benefit from mini grid operations and some of these benefits include the development of the Discos’ licensing areas, which are not being exploited at no cost to the Discos pending when they are ready to extend their operations to such areas.

“At such time, demand would have increased to attractive levels for profitable operation, and customers will be used to paying for electricity and complying with the safety requirements.”

Green mini grid help desk

Meanwhile, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched a Green Mini Grid Help Desk to facilitate the provision of renewable power to rural African communities.

The GMG help desk was unveiled during the recent 3rd International Off-Grid Renewable Energy Conference held in Nairobi, Kenya.

The AfDB explained that, “The GMG Help Desk provides online technical assistance on the myriad of activities important to the business cycle of developing and operating a clean energy mini-grid.”

The Bank added that the help desk was part of the larger Green Mini Grid Market Development Programme implemented by the SE4All Africa Hub and funded through the AfDB’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa.

Dr Daniel-Alexander Schroth, coordinator of the SE4All Africa Hub, said: “mini-grids are a key piece of the energy access puzzle in Sub-Saharan Africa and the GMG Help Desk will be a key tool to accelerate the deployment of private sector-led mini-grid projects in support of the New Deal on Energy for Africa’s vision of universal energy access in Africa by 2025.”

Solar market set to ‘explode’ in Nigeria, others provided chronic issues are addressed

According to Solarcentury’s Daniel Davies and other panel experts at this year’s Solar Energy UK | Clean Energy Live show, subject to regulatory risks and financing issues, the potential for solar deployment in Sub Saharan Africa is exponential, with the rooftop sector set to explode, PV Techreports.

Firstly, tackling the “regulatory risk” in Sub Saharan Africa is pivotal to exploiting the continent’s massive potential for solar and other renewables. Among the issues with regulation, Chijoke Mama, founder of Nigeria-based energy firm Energydatar, identified “lack of skills, poor financing and poor data” as other key barriers to solar taking off.

Several countries are coming to terms with solar and seeing it as a viable solution compared to conventional diesel-powered solutions and kerosene lamps. Nigeria in particular instigated nationwide energy reform in June 2015 in regards to the country’s feed-in tariffs (FiTs).

However, “regulatory ambiguities” are still a chronic problem in Sub Saharan Africa, within minimal government support established for solar as it is still often perceived as something new and expensive. DuPont’s Stephan Padlewski spoke on the import of lowering the costs of solar implementation. He said; “The cost has to be minimised to make solar competitive.”

Two power plants shut, generation drops to 3,403MW

 Two of the nation’s power plants were shut down on Sunday, bringing the total number of idle plants to nine.

The affected plants were Olorunsogo II in Ogun State and Trans-Amadi in Rivers State, with their installed generation capacity put at 625 megawatts and 25MW, respectively.

The nation’s total electricity generation stood at 3,402.5MW as of 6am on Sunday, down from 3,940.5MW on Wednesday, according to industry data obtained by our correspondent. The generation from the nation’s biggest power station, Egbin in Lagos, dropped to 451MW from 465MW on Wednesday.

Olorunsogo II, which was built under the National Integrated Power Project scheme, did not generate any megawatt of electricity because its units GT1, 2, 3 and 4 and ST2 were out due to gas constraints, and the ST1 out on maintenance. The plant produced 130.9MW on Wednesday.

Units GT1 and 2 of Trans-Amadi were said to be out on undisclosed reasons, while the GT4 was out due to gas constraints. It generated 15MW of electricity on Wednesday.

Other plants that did not produce electricity on Sunday were Alaoji II with an installed capacity of 250MW; Ihovbor II, 337.5MW; Afam VI, 650MW; Rivers, 160MW; Afam IV & V, AES and ASCO, whose capacities were put at zero.

The nation’s unutilised generation capacity rose to 4120.1MW on Sunday from 3,473.8MW on Wednesday, with gas constraints responsible for about 80 per cent of the stranded capacity at 3,269MW.

Other factors were line constraints and high frequency occasioned by rainfall/loss of distribution companies’ feeder.

Line constraints and high frequency led to the shut in of 371.7MW and 479.4MW, respectively on Sunday, up from 368.8MW and 85MW on Wednesday.

The nation achieved its peak generation of 5,074.70MW on February 2, 2016, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

UNIDO sets $2.6bn aside for investment in small hydro power plants across Nigeria

A budget of $2.6bn has been set aside by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for the development of Small Hydro Power Plants in Nigeria so as to beef up the electricity generation needs of Nigerians, Spark Online reports.

The Small Hydro Power Generation for which over 300 sites have been identified across Nigeria with only about 20 sites ready for development, is said to be capable of producing up to 3500 megawatts of electricity for Nigeria, if adequately explored and funded.

Key targets include the upgrade of capacity for local fabrication of small solar power turbines and control systems, establishment of private-public partnerships and facilitating conducive investment environment for sustainable small hydro power generation in Nigeria.

FG plans 45,101MW electricity generation from multiple sources by 2030

The Federal Government has unveiled a Sustainable Energy For All-Action Agenda (SE4ALL-AA) that would increase Nigeria’s power generation from the present 3,000 Mega Watts (MW) to 45,101MW by 2030. Government plans to achieve this target gradually from the present 3,121MW from fossil fuel to 18,200MW by 2030, The Guardian reports.

The Federal Government, which disclosed this in its Sustainable Energy For All Action Agenda document also expected renewable energy generation to reach 13,800MW. It declared that by 2030, the country would be generating 13,000MW from gas, 3,200MW from coal; 2,000MW from nuclear; 5,000MW from solar; 1,000MW from solar thermal; and 1,100MW from biomass.

Director, Press, Ministry of Power, Timothy Oyedeji said in a statement that the Federal Government has adopted four documents, which are National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAP), National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAP), Sustainable Energy For All-Action Agenda (SE4ALL-AA) and the Nigerian Power Sector Investment, Opportunities and Guidelines.