Power supply Nigeria

Power supply Module around the world

The history of Power supply in Nigeria dates back to 1896 when electricity was first produced in Lagos, fifteen years after its introduction in England (Niger Power Review, 1985). The total capacity of the generators used then was 60KW. In other words, the maximum demand in 1896 was less than 60 kW. In 1946, the Nigerian government electricity undertaking was established under the jurisdiction of the public works department (PWD) to take over the responsibility of electricity supply in Lagos State. In 1950, a central body was established by the legislative council which transferred electricity supply and development to the care of the central body known as the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN). Other bodies like Native Authorities and the Nigerian Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) had licenses to produce electricity in some locations in Nigeria. There was another body

known as the Niger Dams Authority (NDA), which was established by an act of parliament. The Authority was responsible for the construction and maintenance of dams and other works on the River Niger and elsewhere, generating electricity by means of water power, improving navigation and promoting fish brines and irrigation (Manafa, 1995). The electricity produced by NDA was sold to ECN for distribSOLution and sales at utility voltages.

     In April 1972, the operation of ECN and NDA were merged in a new organization known as the

National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). Since ECN was mainly responsible for distribution and

sales and the NDA created to build and run generating stations and transmission lines, the primary

reasons for merging the organizations were (Niger Power Review, 1989):

• It would result in the vesting of the production and the distribution of electricity power supply

throughout the country in one organization which would assume responsibility for the financial

obligations.

• The integration of the ECN and NDA should result in the more effective utilization of the human, financial and other resources available to the electricity supply industry throughout the country.

 

Since inception of NEPA, the authority expands annually in order to meet the ever-increasing demand. Unfortunately, the majority of Nigerians have no access to electricity and the supply to those provided is not regular. It is this backdrop that the federal government has embarked on aggressive power sector reforms with the intention of resuscitating NEPA and making it more efficient, effective and responsive to the yawning of the teeming populace. This paper looks at the challenges and opportunities such reforms pose on NEPA as a utility company in particular and the nation in general.

 

 Energy sources in Nigeria

Electricity production in Nigeria over the last 40 years has varied from gas-fired, oil-fired, hydroelectric power stations to coal-fired stations with hydroelectric power systems and gas-fired systems taking

precedence. This is predicated by the fact that the primary fuel sources (coal, oil, water, gas) for these

power stations are readily available.Nigeria’s coal reserves are large and estimated at 2 billion metric tones of which 650 million Tonnes are proven reserves. About 95% of the Nigerian coal product has been consumed locally, mainly for railway transportation, electricity production and industrial heating in cement production. Nigeria has abundant reserves of natural gas. In energy terms, the quantity of natural gas is at least twice as much as the oil, and the horizon for the availability of natural gas is definitely longer than that of oil. The known reserves of natural gas have been estimated at about 2.4 x 1012 cubic metres and are expected to last for more than a century as a domestic fuel and a major export.

 

 Challenges and opportunities

Power sector reforms in a developing economysuch as Nigeria pose great challenges not only to the government that initiated the programme but also to the populace who are the consumer of energy and to the new born PHCN, which parades itself as a better alternative to the moribund NEPA. These challenges can be broadly classified into four areas:

 

• Economic and social

• Technical

• Political and

• Environmental

 

 

Economic and social

 

It is no longer debatable that the primary aim of the power sector reform by the federal government is to enhance the efficiency of the nation’s power industry as well as make energy affordable and available to consumers. This means generating more power to the national grid and re-activating most of the ‘dead’ units in the nation’s power stations. In order to satisfy the demand of electricity by consumers, new power stations must be constructed by the federal government, the PHCN and the independent power producers (IPPs). Construction power producers (IPPs). Construction of new power stations and comprehensive maintenance of dysfunctional existing units are usually capital intensive. There is always a price to pay for constant power supply in our homes. This will definitely translate to more money being given out to the utility companies by end users since the former

primary concern will be to make profit. This is evident from the research conducted by Hall (2000) regarding a privatisation programme in Hungary and the United Kingdom.

 Political issues 

There is a need of creating and ensuring level playing fields for all stakeholders in the emerging power sector reform if the desired objectives are to be achieved. By the reform programme, it is expected that the power sector will open itself to key players within and outside the country. This means that the IPPs should expect a conducive political atmosphere before they can agree to invest their money. The majority of the IPPs would like to construct their plants within the Niger Delta area where sources of energy needed to run their plants are guaranteed. At present the hostile environment in the Niger Delta predicated by armed ethnic militia and youth restiveness will definitely scare intending power investors. This brings to fore the need to sustain the nation’s democratic structures with the view of ensuring government policy stability. By so doing, the envisaged comprehensive national energy policy that will take care of conservation, storage, consumption, construction and distribution will be sustained when it becomes operational.Environmental factors

The nature of power plants to be built in a given locality is dependent on the nature of the environment. For instance, a city which already has a cement industry and chemical industry may frown at hosting thermal power plants because of a high level of Carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. In order to guard against this scenario, the government must create the Environmental Inspection Agency (EIA) to monitor and regulate the extent of damage caused by pollution to the environment and the inhabitants. Again, the IPPs may be confronted by high compensation fees, and right of ways in their quest to erect a power plant in any given city. These high compensation fees may run into millions and can invariably pose as a deterrent to potential IPPs.

Space Science Technology Development.

The introduction of Space Science Technology in Nigeria opened the country to the league of global hi-tech players with the attendant benefits. The Flagship programme evolved out of the policy on space Science Technology, leading to the establishment of the National Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) in 2007. Some of the remarkable achievements recorded under this flagship programme include the following:

 

•       Launching of the NigeriaSat-1 (earth observation satellite) in 2003 and the NIGCOMSAT.

•       (Communication satellite) in 2007

•       Development of remote sensing and Geographic Information System model for

•       desertification

•       Mapping and monitoring of impact of gully erosion

•        Deforestation in Nigeria with implication of Bio-diversity

•        Sale of bandwidth, Satellite control & Management and Network operation

•        Domestication of Space Science Technologies

•        Wide range of application in Agriculture, Urban Planning, Infrastructural development,

•       Mineral Resources mapping, exploration and exploitation, Biodiversity monitoring and

•       protection, education, health, good governance etc

 The Centre for Basic Space Science (CBSS) is a major activity Centre of National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA). Abuja. It is charged with the responsibility of conducting fundamental research in Space Science as well as coordinating such research activities in our Universities and Research Institutes. As an Inter-University Research Institute, CBSS promotes the open use of facilities among researchers throughout the Country as well as encouraging international cooperation.

Astronomy is the oldest and active science in which human beings are anxious to understand the origin and existence of man in the universe. One of the major problems of Nigeria and other African countries is their inability to participate and contribute to the global development of Space Science and Technology. It has just been recently realized that African countries are just consumers of space technology products resulting from fundamental discoveries by advanced countries. It was also realized that until recently government has never addressed this problem. Such research was carried out through individual efforts in some Universities without any coordination and serious funding. As a result, such fundamental projects were usually abandoned by researchers as a result of lack of funding. Even today it is still difficult for government to fund fundamental research adequately. To them, they would want to invest only on projects that have immediate economic benefits. Unfortunately, basic research in most cases do not appear to have obvious economic benefit. Discoveries occur by chance with numerous spin off and applications. Being able to convince the Nigerian policy makers on the importance of participating in fundamental research marks the beginning of African renaissance which has been non-existent.

CBSS has sufficiently addressed this issue and made tremendous progress over the past four years of its establishment. These achievements will be listed below and with increased funding, there is every hope that in few years time Nigerians new dream in Space Science will become a reality.

NigeriaSat1

NigeriaSat-1 is one of seven micro-satellites being for a Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC). Other partners in this DMC international consortium are the UK, China, Algeria, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. The micro-satellite is designed for a ground resolution of 32m and 600km swath width, with sensors in three spectral brands: green, red and near infrared and an S-band for data transmission and receiving instructions from earth. Global Images will be received on a daily basis, thereby, gaining advantage of higher temporal resolution and larger swath width as compared to imagery derived from Landsat. The Nigerian satellite was launched on 27th September 2003. Subsequently, the satellite was calibrated in-orbit for data transmission to a ground receiving station in Abuja. Nigerian Engineers trained at Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in the UK and are manning the station for satellite telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C).

Nigeria ComSat, Digitech to provide low cost home broadcast

NIGERIAN Satellite Communications Limited (NIGCOMSAT) and DIGITECH [DTH] has signed a commercial joint base venture agreement to provide a low cost direct to home services to all Nigerians and broadcasters. The agreement which free and pay television broadcast is to reduce the entry cost for new broadcasting practitioners and also to ensure that technical infrastructure is not an impediment to broadcast practitioners. Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT Mallam Ahmed Rufai, at the signing of the agreement in Abuja said the venture would afford Nigerians opportunity to have access to all Nigerian television and radio stations as well as over 200 other channels across the globe.He explained that the venture will provide a level playing field for all broadcasters to compete on the basis of content and not access to hardware According to him “this joint venture conclude the fact that existing broadcasters and prospective new pay TV and licensed Free to Air operators will have access to DIGITECH’s facilities and those of its overseas partners such as TELEMEDIA” He added that it will serve as an open door to attract foreign investors and will also showcase the untapped Nigerian cultural resources which will in the long run increase its foreign direct investment. Apart from millions of dollars which would be accrued into the government coffers, he explained, “the Digitech service will afford broadcasters two distinct advantages among which their signal instantly becomes national whereby any citizens of Nigeria can receive their signals anywhere and West Africa countries through a decoder”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

Akpan, I.: Independent Power Producers and Power Sector Reforms, The Guide, January 2002, pp.12-16.

Ayo, D.A.: NEPA Efficiency through Privatisation’, The Pioneer, 15th July, 2002, pp.15-19.

Benbow, A.: West Australia Electricity Reform Privatisation Disguised, Green Left Weekly, October

2003, pp.1-16.

 

National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), and their Centers.

National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) and its zonal Centres.

Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO)

Nigeria Institute for Trypanosomiasis and Onchocerciasis Research (NITR) Kaduna