Business
Solar, Not Major Source of Power – Minister
Laner Babalola, Minister of Power has revealed that the government was not seriously looking at solar as a major source of power supply; “solar provides an insignificant portion of the power needs of countries and would not be explored as a major power option in Nigeria”, Babalola said. According to the minister, the landmass required for solar power generation, the cost involved and the quality of light produced are major challenges.
Solar panels are best for the few houses surrounding each, solar light is not as efficient as other sources of light, solar is not very bright for mass use. Moreover, the equipment needed to trap the light are not everlasting. In the places where we have seen solar in use across the world, they are not a major solution to power supply”, he stated. In this place, he continued solar provides an insignificant one percent of total power requirement. To generate 2000MW of electricity from solar, you need a landmass of about 65 square kilometers, twice the size of Abuja to install panels, landmass is a major issue in solar power generation.
The minister was speaking while being conducted round the facilities of the Guregu power plant, Kogi State.
The Guregu power plant, Kogi State is plagued with gas supply crisis which could further undermine the government’s 600mw power generation target.
The government, according to the minister has given the managers of the stations up to this year end to solve its gas supply issue once and for all, stressing that government would no longer sit back and allow its power plants rot away because of gas supply crisis.
The minister advised that they should start looking at the gas issue from a different perspective, adding that the target should aim at sorting out the gas issue and get the plant to perform to full capacity. “If you don’t have a good framework in place, Geregu would just be a wasting asset. Get this done between now and December, if there is anything that we in Abuja need to do, please let us know quickly”, he remarked.
It would be recalled that the construction of Geregu 414mw gas turbine plants comprising a total of 3X 138mw simple cycle siemens V94.2 gas turbine units was completed in 2006, commissioned in February 2007 and went into operation in June 2007.
Gas has remained an issue with the station, which has hardly produced above 100mw since inception.
According to Mr. Monima Stanley-Idum, Head of Station at Geregu power station, all the three units are available but due mainly to gas supply constraints present generation is limited to serving an Island part of Kogi, Ondo, Delta and Edo States for one unit with a maximum load of 100MW, utilising an average of 25 million standard cubic feet per day. The gas supply for the 114mw capacity of the plant is put at 105 million standard cubic feet per day. He assured however, that the three units will contribute a minimum of 350mw towards the 6000mw target in December, were we are tied to the national grid. The challenges we face in spite of our 100 per cent availability are the issues of grid stability, commensurate with the design of the plant to utilise the maximum capacity of the plant and shortage in gas supply coupled with inadequate staff housing. Another issue plaguing the plant, it was gathered is the inability of government to upgrade the 30MVA transmission station at Ajaokuta to 60MVA to aid transmission of power generation from the plant.
On the current power generation, Babalola stressed that 3500mw was currently being generated, transmitted and distributed. He assured that the system would ensure that 6000MW of electricity exist and is available by the end of December 2009.
A Maritime stake holder, and Chairman of Sifax Group, Taiwo Afolabi, has attributed maritime industry’s minimal contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to infrastructure deficit, insecurity on the nation’s waterways, low level of technology adoption, and deployment in the sector.
Afolabi made this known at the 5th Taiwo Afolabi Annual Maritime (TAAM) conference organised by the Maritime Forum of the faculty of law, University of Lagos.
Afolabi noted that other hindrances are foreign exchange bottleneck and inconsistent policies.
“These have limited the ability of the sector to contribute significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product GDP.
“If well harnessed, the maritime industry has the potential to become a major revenue earner for the country, particularly with the declining oil revenue.
“The lessons of the last few years as a nation should not be lost on us. The non-oil sector is increasingly becoming the mainstay of the country’s economy. We have funded our national budget in the last few years majorly without proceeds from oil but from other sectors.
“The days of our over reliance on oil is behind us now and it’s about time we focused on transitioning from an oil-dependent economy to non-oil reliance.
“The maritime sector, I can say without any fear of contradiction, will play a crucial role in this economic transitioning if more attention is committed to the industry.
“Judging by the potentials of the industry, we are of the opinion and belief that Nigeria’s maritime industry can rank among the best in the world.
“It will only take careful planning, progressive policies, generous funding, enabling environment, friendly economic policies, manpower development and massive infrastructural development”, he noted.
The Debt Management Office (DMO) has refuted the claim by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) that Nigeria has defaulted in repaying its Chinese loans.
SERAP had in an earlier statement hailed the judgement that ordered the present regime led by President Muhammadu Buhari to account for how it spent $460 million obtained from China to fund the Abuja Closed-Circuit Television project which later was not implemented.
The NGO also quoted a report in its statement saying “Nigeria has failed to repay loans for which penalties stand at N41.31bn”.
But DMO in its refuttal said the statement is ‘false’ as Nigeria has not defaulted in its loan repayment.
It said, “Nigeria is fully committed to housing its debt obligations and has not defaulted on any of its debt service obligations”, DMO said on Monday.
SERAP had sued the Federal Government following a 2019 disclosure by the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed that “Nigeria was servicing the loan”, adding that she had “no explanations on the status of the project”.
She reportedly said, “We are servicing the loan. I have no information on the status of the CCTV project”.
Giving his judgement, Justice Nwite agreed with SERAP that “there is a reasonable cause of action against the government. Accounting for the spending of the $460 million Chinese loan is in the interest of the public. It will be inimical for the court to refuse SERAP’s application for judicial review of the government’s action”.
The presiding justice also said the Minister of Finance is in charge of the finance of the country and “cannot by any stretch of imagination be oblivious of the amount of money paid to the contractors for the Abuja CCTV contract and the money meant for the construction of the headquarters of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB)”, SERAP said.
Nigeria’s apex banking institution, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has named four local firms for the printing of cheques, excluding the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NPSMC) PLC.
The list of the approved firms for the printing of cheques was contained in a circular issued by CBN.
The circular, which was signed by the Director of Banking Services, Sam Okojere, said the approved firms include Superflux International Limited, Tripple Gee and Company, Yaliam Press Limited, and Marvelous Mike Press.
“The re-accreditation of Cheques Printers and Cheque Personalisers is in line with the relevant qualification criteria”, CBN stated.
The circular also revealed that seven banks were approved as personalisers of cheques: they are Zenith Bank Plc, Ecobank Plc, First Bank Ltd, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Keystone Bank Ltd, Providus Bank Ltd and Wema Bank Plc.
It further disclosed that all accredited printers and personalisers had been duly notified and certificates issued.
The Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company Plc is the sole printer of N200, N500, and N1000 new notes.
Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company Plc and Euphoria Group Limited were accredited and approved on Thursday, 04 December 2014, in a letter REF: BPS/DIR/GEN/CIR/02/033.
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