234
C. N. Nwedu
a global concern. However, in Nigeria, it is more a great, unique challenge cutting across upstream, midstream and downstream issues. The
power sector has either been confronted by regular low performance or
a complete failure to deliver desired capacity,
9 mainly due to related
economic and political barriers. This does not, in any sense, translate
to having little or no energy resources in Nigeria. There are both abundant CES and renewables. The major problem remains that oil and gas
are a dominant source of power generation and national income.
10 The
effect of which has been manifest in energy crisis and economic losses of
different proportions.
11 The condition of power crisis is characteristically
now unsurprising a lifestyle to which many Nigerians are accustomed.
There are relative, differing accounts on power generation capacity
in Nigeria. This divergence can be attributed to the typically dynamic
nature of power itself, and most often generation-supply-connected
technicalities. However, a most recent report from Nigerian Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC) indicates that power generation, as
at the third quarter of 2019 was 5093 MW at a peak per day, with
an increase of the average generation up to 6709 MW during the
same period.
12 This figure is well below a hypothetically estimated daily
requirement of roughly 180,000 MW of electricity.
13 The current daily
electricity generation has also been anecdotally confirmed to reflect last
year’s average daily figure of the quarter in view. But gas alone accounted
for 74.63% of the total generation, which implies its dominance in the
9 Gbeminiyi M. Sobamowo and Sunday J. Ojolo, ‘Techno-Economic Analysis of Biomass Energy
Utilization through Gasification Technology for Sustainable Energy Production and Economic
Development in Nigeria’ (2018) Journal of Energy, 1–16.
10 Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, Joseph O. Dada and Ibrahim Khalil Adam, ‘Current Status and
Future Prospects of Renewable Energy in Nigeria’ (2015) 48 Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews, 336–346.
11 Sunday Olayinka Oyedepo, ‘Energy and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: The Way
Forward’ (2012) 15(2) Energy, Sustainability and Society, 1–17.
12 Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Quarterly Report (Third Quarter,
2019) 24.
13 Roseline Okere, ‘Nigerians Require 180,000 mw of ELECTRICITY’ The Guardian
(20 September 2017), https://guardian.ng/energy/nigerians-require-180000mw-of-electricity/,
accessed 20 April 2020.
C. N. Nwedu
a global concern. However, in Nigeria, it is more a great, unique challenge cutting across upstream, midstream and downstream issues. The
power sector has either been confronted by regular low performance or
a complete failure to deliver desired capacity,
9 mainly due to related
economic and political barriers. This does not, in any sense, translate
to having little or no energy resources in Nigeria. There are both abundant CES and renewables. The major problem remains that oil and gas
are a dominant source of power generation and national income.
10 The
effect of which has been manifest in energy crisis and economic losses of
different proportions.
11 The condition of power crisis is characteristically
now unsurprising a lifestyle to which many Nigerians are accustomed.
There are relative, differing accounts on power generation capacity
in Nigeria. This divergence can be attributed to the typically dynamic
nature of power itself, and most often generation-supply-connected
technicalities. However, a most recent report from Nigerian Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC) indicates that power generation, as
at the third quarter of 2019 was 5093 MW at a peak per day, with
an increase of the average generation up to 6709 MW during the
same period.
12 This figure is well below a hypothetically estimated daily
requirement of roughly 180,000 MW of electricity.
13 The current daily
electricity generation has also been anecdotally confirmed to reflect last
year’s average daily figure of the quarter in view. But gas alone accounted
for 74.63% of the total generation, which implies its dominance in the
9 Gbeminiyi M. Sobamowo and Sunday J. Ojolo, ‘Techno-Economic Analysis of Biomass Energy
Utilization through Gasification Technology for Sustainable Energy Production and Economic
Development in Nigeria’ (2018) Journal of Energy, 1–16.
10 Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, Joseph O. Dada and Ibrahim Khalil Adam, ‘Current Status and
Future Prospects of Renewable Energy in Nigeria’ (2015) 48 Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews, 336–346.
11 Sunday Olayinka Oyedepo, ‘Energy and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: The Way
Forward’ (2012) 15(2) Energy, Sustainability and Society, 1–17.
12 Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Quarterly Report (Third Quarter,
2019) 24.
13 Roseline Okere, ‘Nigerians Require 180,000 mw of ELECTRICITY’ The Guardian
(20 September 2017), https://guardian.ng/energy/nigerians-require-180000mw-of-electricity/,
accessed 20 April 2020.