Electricity:Expert Urges FG To Develop More Coal Fields

Director of Operations,
Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr Mike Osatuyi, has urged the Federal Government to develop national coal fields, to boost electricity generation and industrialisation.
Osatuyi said in an interview with  newsmen in Lagos, that government should look beyond gas in generating needed electricity.
He said that government’s effort in developing the coal fields should be part of designed efforts to generate power and fast-track industrialisation.
According to him, the nation has more than 16 coal blocks across the country including in Enugu, Gombe, Nasarawa, Benue, Delta and Kogi states.
Osatuyi said that government should empower the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and the National Steel Raw Material Exploration Agency (NSRMEA) to embark on exploration of coal deposits in the country.
He said that Gombe and Kogi mines usually supplied coal to cement and steel factories to fire their kiln and produce clinker, instead of using gas or electricity.
The director said that cement and steel factories often consumed a lot of electricity; hence the need for them to use cheaper and available coal.
Osatuyi also said that the Dangote Group has maximised the benefits of coal in its operations by establishing a modern coal power plant in Obajana, Kogi.
He stressed that the revocation of inactive coal titles would change the whole scenario completely.
He said that  there was no way Nigeria would do a good job in providing sustainable electricity in the right quantity and quality for the people depending on only one source for generation.
According to him, Nigeria has an incredible supply of coal that is untapped; “coal deposit in Nigeria can give us more than 5,000 megawatts which is more than what we are generating at this moment”.
He said that balancing Nigeria’s dependence on thermal generated electricity with other sources of electricity like solar, biomass, wind and other sustainable alternative sources had been a challenge that the country was still finding difficult to manage.
Osatuyi noted that the country’s abundant coal, biomass, solar, wind and small hydro could provide possible insurance to deal with vandalism of pipelines.