Power Generation Drops by 1,400MW

Efforts by the Federal Government to ramp up power generation seem to be suffering a setback following the refusal of the electricity distribution companies to off-take the power allocated to them.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, decried the rejection of power by electricity distribution companies, describing it as regrettable. He disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

According to the minister, generation peaked at 5,170 megawatts on Friday, ”unfortunately, it had to be ramped down by 1,400MW due to the inability of the Discos to pick the supply.”

Adelabu lamented the development, saying “This is really regrettable considering that the government is on course to increase generation to 6,000MW by the end of the year.”

The minister disclosed this during a facility tour of TBEA Southern Power Transmission and Distribution Industry in Beijing, China.

“When this administration came in last year, we met around 4,000MW of power but within a year, we were able to generate a milestone of 5,170MW, adding about 1,000MW of power within the first year. It may look small, but compared to the history of the country, this is commendable.

“Our plan is that by the end of the year, we aim to achieve 6,000MW of power through a combination of hydroelectric power plants and our gas-fired power plants. We are also targeting 30,000MW of power to be generated, transmitted, and distributed by the year 2030 out of which 30 per cent would be renewable energy,” he stated.

The minister stressed that the renewable energy segment would come from a combination of hydroelectric power from small dams, solar energy sources, and wind farms from onshore and offshore winds.