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.
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