Expert Identifies Impediments To Effective Power Supply

Member, Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP), Mr Eyo Ekpo, says high level of infrastructure decay and wide gap in investment are major impediments hindering effective power supply.

Ekpo, Head, Regulatory and Transactions Monitoring Unit of the task force, said this on Wednesday in an interview with the newsmen  in Lagos.

He said that the nation’s power supply had been hindered for years by limited generation, transmission capacities, obsolete equipment and unreliable distribution network.

Ekpo said that over-bloated and inefficient workforce were also obstacles to meeting the national power demand approximated at between 10,000 and 15,000MW.

He said that the power generation level had even declined while demand was on the rise.

“This problem has apparently trickled down to the transmission and distribution arms of the sector”.

“The manifestation is the perpetual power failure and shortage being witnessed across the nation”.

“But in all fairness, I think this is simply unacceptable if we consider the fact that countries like South Africa, Egypt and Ghana enjoy better generation capacities,’’ Ekpo said.

He said that lack of investment in power generation, transmission and distribution were the major factors inhibiting the growth of the sector.

Ekpo said that shortage of skilled manpower had also compounded the problems bedeviling the sector.

He said that the monopoly being enjoyed by the government must be broken by allowing private sector’s participation in the sector.

“From research and findings, it has been discovered that annual funding requirement has practically outstripped the capacity of government.

“While government capital outlined for all capital budgets are less than $7 billion annually, investigation has revealed that power alone would require $5 billion annually”.

“From the above figures, it means that the estimate on power almost equates the capital budget”.

“For obvious reason, the government feels it is foolhardy to expend its capital budget on power; where else would the power sector look to raise the fund if not the private sector?”

“With the arrival of the private sector, financial management would be brought into power supply as past experience has shown that government investment has always lacked efficiency and transparency,’’ he said.

According to him, if the power sector reform is adequately implemented, Nigerians would, in no distant time, begin to witness a difference in the power supply situation.

“With the way the power sector reform is designed, it is certain that it would cause the desired change in the sector. The different strategies being set aside clearly attest to this fact”.

“The strategies of the reform, which include restructuring of the electricity industry, marketing development, privatisation and healthy competition among potential investors, are geared toward bringing relief to the industry,’’ Ekpo said.