Experts in the power sector have urged the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, to intensify efforts to increase megawatt generation on the national grid. 

They also demanded that consumers be included in the affairs of the power sector.

The experts expressed their expectations in Abuja on Sunday.

President Bola Tinubu recently appointed Mr Tegbe as the new Minister of Power.

The Chief Executive Officer of Sage Consulting, Bode Fadipe, urged the minister to work not just on grid stability, but also on increasing the megawatts available on the grid.

Mr Fadipe said he should work assiduously to reverse the stagnation in the number of megawatts available on the grid.

He said the sector had never generated up to 6,000 megawatts, adding that there was always 13,000 MW of installed capacity, which differed from the capacity available on the grid.

According to him, the grid cannot continue to operate at around 3,500-4,500MW for a population of more than 200 million.

“Even if the entire 200 million is not using electricity at the same time. For the population using, certainly, 3,500, 4,500 megawatts is not enough.

 “If electricity is regular, the FCT alone can consume that quantum of energy,” he said.

Mr Fadipe also urged the minister to take the issue of metering seriously.

According to him, whatever he is going to do to ensure metering is moved beyond where it has been for a while should be done.

 He said that metering remained a recurring issue in the power sector, as it affects billing integrity, energy accountability, and revenue stabilisation and liquidity.

“Liquidity continues to remain a major factor in the sector, and without being addressed, the problem in the sector will continue to be there,” he said

Mr Fadipe also said that the issue between gas suppliers and generating companies (GenCos), which had always been a major challenge and had led to outstanding bills, should also be resolved.

He said the issue between the GenCos and gas suppliers was affecting the availability of megawatts the GenCos could generate.

“If gas suppliers are not paid, they will not supply the GenCos and the power system in this country is screwed in favour of gas-fired plants, not hydro.

“Hydro contribution to the electricity supply industry is far smaller than gas-fired plants,” he said.

Princewill Okorie, the executive director of the Electricity Consumers Protection Advocacy Centre, urged the minister to organise a consumers consultative forum to meet with them.

Mr Okorie said that by organising the forum, consumers would be able to speak, and he would hear directly from them.

“Enough of concentrating on transmission, generation, and distribution without the consumers who pay the bills and are being extorted and exploited without any consequence,” he said.

Mr Okorie also said that the minister should set up a unit within the Ministry of Power to enforce or implement Section 119 of the Electricity Act, which concerns consumer protection and licensee performance standards.

According to him,  electricity distribution companies (DisCos) are misbehaving because there is no enforcement, monitoring, or discipline.

He said that for DisCos to be monitored effectively, a unit should be established in the Ministry of Power, or a mechanism should be found to enforce penalties under the offensive segment of the Electricity Act, as in sections 209-226. 

(NAN)