NERC Canvasses Sustainable, Viable Power Sector

The Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr Sam Amadi, has urged the Federal Government to take steps toward making the power sector sustainable and viable.

Amadi, who spoke at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Law Summit, said that neglect and inadequate investment had led to a steady decline in the power sector.

In his paper entitled, “Implementing the Nigerian Power Sector Reform: Challenges before NERC’’, Amadi said capacity restraints in transmission and distribution networks showed the need for improved technology and management.

According to him, an estimated N6 trillion is needed between now and 2020 to revamp the nation’s power sector.

In the paper delivered on his behalf by Dr Uche Okoro, his special assistant on strategy, Amadi accused the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) of wrecking the energy sector and setting the country backwards.

He said: “The power generated is in huge contrast to the power transmitted. The power we generate is 5,000MW but what is transmitted to our homes is under 3,000MW’’.

In his remarks, Technical Adviser, Presidential Task Force on Power, Dr Nnaemeka Ewelukwa, said the country needed significant investment in the power sector to boost the economy.