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Towards Stable Electricity Supply In Rivers

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14 years ago

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The Rivers State Government recently reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring stable and constant electricity in the State.

The State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who disclosed this at the Inter-denominational church service to mark this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day assured that citizens of the State would by December this year enjoy stable and constant electricity.

Acknowledging the challenges facing the people of the state, the governor said he would tackle them promptly, adding “Government is fully aware of its commitment to the people who elected me into office”. He reaffirmed that plans were on-going to provide stable and constant electricity in the state by December 2012.

To further reaffirm this commitment, the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Shell Nigeria Gas, a subsidiary of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) for the development and distribution of natural gas within Port Harcourt and its environs. A similar agreement was also signed with Oando Gas and Power on the same issue as its determination to reposition the state in the development of the gas sector as well as help in improving the power plans of the state government.

The MoU represents a key step in not only the gas masterplan implementation but will also put the state reputation as the energy hub of the country and improve the socio-economic benefits of the state. This can only be possible if the parties keep to the agreements. The MOU covers a period of thirty years.

Rivers State is a major oil and gas province in the Sub-Saharan Africa with more than 40 percent of Nigeria’s crude oil reserves and 55 percent of natural gas reserves located in the state. Many key players in the Nigerian Petroleum and natural gas industry have their regional offices in Port Harcourt, the capital of the state.

However, despite the more than 50 years of active operation in the state, there is very little synergy between the oil and gas industry and the local economy, particularly with respect to power distribution and transmission, and effective participation of indigeneous entrepreneurs.

The on-going efforts by the Rivers State government at repositioning the power sector would boost electricity supply in the state and take the state to a greater heights in our pursuit of making electricity safe, reliable and affordable. There is currently an increase in electricity generation in the state but that would not solve the problem until there is a corresponding increase in distribution.

The vision of the present administration in the State is to transform the economy through efficient use of energy resources as well as to position Port Harcourt as the Energy capital of the West African Sub-Region and the Gulf of Guinea. The use of gas resources to power electricity in Rivers State will enable its people get the benefits of the resources of their land.

One very important aim of the state government from the time past has been to develop its gas turbine into one of the leading Independent Power Project (IPP) in the country and the government had continued to offer a wide range of solutions to the problem of power shortage for which several feasibility studies and plans have been done. The government has continously placed priority on the development of the power sector in the state, hence the Omoku gas turbine, Trans-Amadi and Eleme gas turbines had undergone processes of power distribution and transmission, yet their aims are not fully achieved, though the state power station at Oyigbo (Afam) is giving a boost to the power project of the state.

The government of Amaechi believes in serving as a reference for excellence, this, he wants to show in the power supply as he did in the social responsibility. The governor’s reassurance to fulfil his promise of providing adequate electricity to the entire state before the end of his tenure, no doubt, must be backed with action.

At a meeting  with Chiefs, elders, youths, women and opinion leaders of communities whose lands would be acquired for the construction of the planned 33/11/KV injection Sub-Stations and Rows for transmission lines, the state Commissioner for Power, Hon. Augustine Wokocha reiterated that government was committed to providing a stable and an affordable electricity supply in the state.

He advised communities against unnecessary interruption that would impede the course of the surveyors and valuers, stating the resolve of government to complete its projects in record time. “Communities should cooperate with surveyors and valuers as well as the contractors that would handle the projects to enable them carry out power work that would be beneficial to both the government and the communities”, he stressed.

Port Harcourt is a very comfortable investment zone and the state continues to make its mark and contribution towards sustainable power production and distribution. It is hoped that the government will establish an Independent Power Project (IPP) that will power the business sector in the state and have other things that will enable the state have independent power plants in the strategic areas. It is also hoped that the state would work with the Federal Government plans to privatize the power sector, bearing in mind that power is still in the exclusive list.

The government has so many things to put in place before it can go into the Independent Power Project which President Goodluck Jonathan is trying to do in the reodmap on power sector reform. The Federal Government’s gas-to-power initiative, the passing into law of the Nigerian Local Content Bill and other initiatives by the Rivers State government from its Petroleum and Natural gas resources would provide the necessary enabling materials for the achievement of stable and constant electricity supply to the state.

With the Federal Government’s intention to ensure that oil companies end gas flaring by December this year, it is expected that the Rivers State government would key into the programme to make energy-driven economy for the state as it will attract investment opportunities and create jobs for the people in the power and industrial sectors.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has put in place necessary mechanism in order to have an acceptable platform for the proposed electricity tariff review and already collating materials to work with, with a view to issuing a new cost of electricity in the country. This will usher in a subsidised cost of electricity for ordinary Nigerians who may not be able to afford the proposed increase in tarrif, especially those in the rural areas and others. More than 40 per cent of the electricity in the country are generated privately for greater efficiency.

This calls for the Federal Government to reduce import taxes paid on components used for producing power equipment. Such reduction of import duties would encourage investors and governments in the country to produce more power to improve the supply situation, create jobs and wealth for the country. Regular and efficient power supply remains the only infrastructure that is required to install the full entrepreneurial energies of the state and nation’s economy, and unleash unprecedented economic growth.

The Rivers State government’s focus is to make progress in optimizing its gas for distribution to power industries and key into the President’s gas-to-power framework or masterplan. The power sector in the state, in the third quarter of last year showed good signs of improvement which began after the turn-around maintenance and upgrading of the electricity supply and distribution by the State government in conjunction with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in the State. Residents of Port Harcourt and the state are concerned about whether the tempo can be sustained to end the blackouts suffered in recent past. Thanks to the Amaechi government because the situation which was described as failure and epileptic has resurrected with unending power supply chain-transmission, distribution and generation.

In the electricity business, if any section of the chain is insufficient or works at sub-optiomal level as a result of poor equipment or operation, it would affect other sections, so the state government in its commitment to providing electricity for the people overhauled the entire supply chain of the power sector in the state, which is currently paying off. Rivers people and residents of Port Harcourt and its environs are now enjoying improved power supply and it is hoped that by the end of this year and with the plans underway, there will be substantial increase in power generation in the state, even with the envisaged growth in gas supply next year.

The current development exemplifies the government’s seriousness in ensuring stable and constant electricity by December this year and also underscores the government’s capability in managing the complex synergies in the power sector reform which seems to task more responsibilities to the PHCN. Seven years after the Power Sector reform Act 2005, we ought to have moved to the point of counting our gains of the reform as against the benefits lost. In the light of emerging realities, there is a lot more that needs to be done to secure an anchor to the reforms which are proving unworkable.

It will be a worthwhile experience for Rivers people to have a telling reference of the improvement or stability in power supply in the State from the Governor Amaechi-led administration. The State Power Station in Afam which is off-grid is on course and it is giving what the metropolis wants and enabling the state deliver services that are so critical to the welfare of the people.

The governor has thought reasonably by trying to replicate the model in his state. What the nation needs at this time are scores of compact micro-schemes to deliver power off-grid to take the wind out of the sail of the inept PHCN.

 

Shedie Okpara

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Oil & Energy

Supermajors Bet Big on Long-Term Oil Demand

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6 days ago

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November 3, 2025

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The world’s largest international oil firms are ramping up production even as crude prices have weakened this year and global supply growth continues to outpace the demand increase, setting the stage for a glut in the coming months.
The European majors are back to investing in exploration and new oil and gas field developments after years of trying – and mostly failing – to generate profits and good returns from low-carbon energy projects, including renewable electricity, green hydrogen, and biofuels.
The U.S. supermajors, ExxonMobil and Chevron, are pumping record oil volumes in the top shale region, the Permian, while betting on international project expansions in Guyana and Kazakhstan, for example. The U.S. giants both reported in the second quarter record-high production in the Permian and worldwide, following Exxon’s acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources and Chevron’s buying of Hess.
France’s TotalEnergies expects higher oil and gas production to have boosted earnings for the third quarter, despite a $10 per barrel decline in oil prices since last year.
Production at the other European supermajors, Shell and BP, is also rising as the European giants shifted focus back to their core oil and gas business. The pivot took place after the energy crisis made energy security and affordability more important than sustainability, while high interest rates and supply chain issues further reduced already meager returns from clean energy projects and made many new energy ventures uncompetitive.
The supermajors are confident they can withstand the current weaker prices and the surplus on the market, to which they have contributed, alongside the national oil companies of the OPEC+ producers, which have been reversing the production cuts this year.
Big Oil is looking beyond the short-term fundamentals and glut noise, having decided to invest more in oil and gas to meet solid demand until at least the mid-2030s.
Unlike the International Energy Agency (IEA), which earlier this year doubled down on its forecast of peak oil demand by the end of this decade, Big Oil companies don’t see any peak by 2030.
BP, which said last year that global oil demand would peak as early as this year, ditched this view in its new annual Energy Outlook last month, in which it now expects oil demand to rise through 2030 amid weaker-than-expected efficiency gains.
Most majors have put the peak at some point in the 2030s, but none expect a rapid decline afterwards, and all say that oil and gas will remain essential for global economic growth and development in 2050.
“Oil and natural gas are essential. There’s no other viable way to meet the world’s energy needs,” ExxonMobil said in its 2025 Global Outlook.
“Our Global Outlook projects that oil and natural gas will make up more than half of the world’s energy supply in 2050. We project that oil demand will stabilize after 2030, remaining above 100 million barrels per day through 2050,” the U.S. supermajor reckons.
“All major credible scenarios include oil and natural gas as a dominant energy source in 2050.”
All three scenarios analyzed in Shell’s 2025 Energy Security Scenarios found that upstream investment of around $600 billion a year “will be required for decades to come as the rate of depletion of oil and gas fields is two to three times the potential future annual declines in demand.”
Exxon and now the European majors are playing the long game—invest in new oil and gas supply, at the expense of renewables, to offset with new production the accelerating natural decline of producing oil and gas fields.
Even the IEA admitted last month that the world needs to develop new oil and gas resources just to keep output flat amid faster declining rates at existing fields, in a major shift in its narrative from 2021 that ‘no new investment’ is needed in a net-zero by 2050 scenario.
Exploration is also back at the top of the agenda for Big Oil, as the companies appear confident their product will be in demand for decades to come.
The expected massive overhang later this year and early next year is not putting off the supermajors’ plans to increase production. They are slashing costs via cutting thousands of workforce numbers to protect shareholder payouts at $60 per barrel oil. Companies have pledged billions of U.S. dollars in cost savings and slimmer corporate structures. That’s to eliminate inefficiencies and excessive costs while keeping payouts to shareholders at much lower prices compared to the 2022 highs.
This year, higher oil and gas production is partly offsetting the weaker prices.
Increased output also positions the world’s biggest companies for rising profits when the glut clears within a year or so, analysts say.
“All the supply coming to the market is shrinking OPEC’s spare capacity — so there’s a light at end of the tunnel,” Barclays analyst Betty Jiang told Bloomberg this week.
“Whether that’s second half of 2026 or 2027, the balance is going to tighten. It’s just a matter of when.”
By Tsvetana Paraskova
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Stakeholders Lament Poor Crude Oil Supply To Indigenous Companies …..Urges President To Pressure NNPCL To Prioritise Local Refineries

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6 days ago

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November 3, 2025

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Stakeholders in the Downstream oil sector in collaboration with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to create an enabling environment for all oil refining companies to thrive without fear or pressure of any kind.
They also want the President to mandate the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to prioritize crude oil supply to local refineries over foreign partners.
The groups made the call during the Mega Rally against economic sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum sector with the theme ‘National Unity Against sabotage: Reclaiming of Petroleum Sector for the People’, held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Addressing journalists during the rally, the Convener of Partners for National Economic Progress, Olamide Odumosu, insisted that it was unacceptable that government agencies hide under the “willing supplier, willing buyer” clause to frustrate the supply of crude to local refineries.
Odumosu called on president Tinubu to ensure that crude oil supply to the dangote refinery is not debatable.
Odumosu described the recent expansion of the Dangote refinery from 650,000m bpd to 1.4m bpd as not just a national glory but a continental and global one expressing regrets however, that the Dangote refinery now rely on the international scene for crude .
In his words “As an oil producing country, the matter of supply of crude to local refineries (in this case, the Dangote Refinery) is not only a matter of Law as stated in the Petroleum Industry Act, but a manner of patriotic duty, national consciousness and economic prosperity drive. It is very sad, unfortunate and embarrassing that Dangote Refinery imports crude from other countries due to his inability to source it at home.
“It is for this reason that the PIA encourages regulatory agencies to formulate policies that will ensure the supply of crude to local refineries, including imposing sanctions where necessary”.
On his path, the convener of Niger Delta Youth council, comrade Danielson Prince, condemned the practice of importing crude oil from outside the shores of the country.
Prince noted that such was detrimental to Nigeria’s economy while calling on the President to pressure NNPC to sell crude oil to Nigerian companies within Nigeria.
“However, this is both a journey and a struggle. And we will not rest, will we get to the desired destination and victory achieved. There are still very important issues to address”, he stated.
Prince described the situation as sad stating that it was unfortunate and embarrassing that Dangote Refinery imports crude from other countries due to his inability to source it at home.
Odumosu also emphasized that it is unacceptable for government agencies in the country to hide under the willing supplier clause to frustrate the supply of crude oil to local refining companies in the country.
TheTide learnt that similar rallies were recently organized in Abuja, Kaduna and Asana respectively.
By: King Onunwor
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Oil & Energy

Investors Raise $500m For Solar Manufacturing – Adelabu

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6 days ago

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November 3, 2025

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The Federal Government, in partnership with state governors and private investors, has secured nearly $500m to establish solar manufacturing plants across Nigeria.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this at the just concluded Nigeria Energy Conference, in Lagos.
Recall that the minister had announced that Nigeria had begun exporting locally manufactured solar panels to Ghana, marking a milestone in the country’s renewable energy drive.
According to him, following the recently concluded Nigerian Renewable Energy Innovation Forum organised by the Rural Electrification Agency, the government secured agreements worth nearly $500m with state governors and private investors.
The initiative, he said, would add close to 4 gigawatts of solar manufacturing capacity per annum, almost 80 per cent of Nigeria’s current total power generation capacity.
“At the recently concluded Nigerian Renewable Energy Innovation Forum, we successfully activated agreements totalling almost $500m with state governors and investors. What will this do? It will bring on stream nearly 4 gigawatts per annum of solar manufacturing capacity, equivalent to almost 80 per cent of our current national generation capacity,” he stated.
He explained that the deals would support local production of solar panels, batteries, and meters, reducing dependence on imports and positioning Nigeria as a key player in the regional energy market.
“Companies that will manufacture solar panels here and that will manufacture batteries and meters here, we can give them deposits. With this scale of renewable energy production coming online, Nigeria is not only positioned to achieve its domestic renewable energy transition targets but also to serve as the regional power market,” Adelabu said.
He said this would strengthen the export of renewables, a feat he said was achieved recently with Ghana.
“Nigeria will serve as the regional power market in terms of the hub, which we recently started doing with the export of Nigerian-based solar panels to Ghana just last month. Yes, we exported solar panels manufactured in Nigeria to Ghana, and we will not stop. We will be the hub for this, not just for West Africa, but for the entire African market,” he stated.
The minister noted that the move would have far-reaching benefits for the economy, including job creation, foreign exchange earnings, and faster deployment of solar energy infrastructure.
He added that training and empowering Nigerian youths in renewable energy technologies would be key to sustaining the progress.
Adelabu assured investors that the government was creating an enabling environment for private sector participation across the power value chain, particularly in transmission.
“Nigeria’s power sector remains open and ready for business more than ever before. The government is ready to provide the right and conducive atmosphere to make this environment investor-friendly.
“As rational investors, recovery of your principal and margin on principal are very important, and the way the power sector is configured, you will never lose your investment; you will be proud to be an investor in Nigeria,” he added.
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