Privatisation’ll Stabilise Power – Taskforce

The Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Power  (PTFP), Mr Beks Dagogo-Jack has said that the constraints experienced in the power sector would be alleviated with the privatisation of the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) ad the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Speaking in an interview recently, Dagogo-Jack noted that the privatisation of the 10 NIPPs would stabilise the nation’s electricity supply system.
According to him, “This project is consistent with government’s policy to push plants to the private sector which can manage them better.  Government will create incentives for investors in the power sector to enable them participate fully. In no distant time, more, megawatts will be generated and power   supple will improve”.
He stressed that with a population of over 160 million people living in over 25 million households, the current power being  generated was just a tiny drop in the ocean adding that this explains why there are blackouts in the country.
Explaining further he said, “The load shedding which is increasing lately has its origin in the fact that once consumers witnessed increasing supply and rehabilitee which was previously suppressed or migrated, demand started returning to the grid.  People who used to only put one air-conditioning unit in their homes when using their small generators now put on all units at home”.
The NIPPs to be privatised are the Olorungo phase 2 in Ogun State, Gbarain in Bayelsa State, Alaoji in Abia State Ihovbor in Edo State and Ogorode in Delta State.
Also to be privatised are NIPP’s  Egbema in Imo State, Omoku in Rivers State, Omotosho in Ondo State and Geregu in Kogi State.
The PTFP’s chairman pointed out that transmission network was the weak spot in the sector when compared with the upstream generation segment and downstream distribution.