Oil & Energy

Towards Effective Power Sector Reform

Published

9 years ago

October 9, 2017

The power sector is one of those sectors of the Nigerian economy that has received critical attention within the past 57 years of the corporate existence of the country as an independent state.
As part of measures to attain desired impact and maximal results in the power sector, vast treaties and hypothesis have been made over the past years, while billions of tax payers money have been sunked in.
The prospect of development, remains but a flicker, a mere shallow reflection of the expected breakthrough from the huge investment invested into the sector.
However, as the country marks its 57 independence celebration, Nigerians are desirous of the full dividends of the huge investment in the power sector.
The fact been that effective power supply is what is needed in the country to drive entrepreneurial growth and enterprise development among the teeming masses and create job opportunities.
Pundits have blamed the challenges in Nigeria power sector reforms on many factors.
One of such factors identified is the use of similar approach or methodology in solving power sector problems, thereby resulting in same old inefficiencies.
Apart from apparent diversion of fund meant for the resuscitation of the ailing sector, the lack of input of real technocrats and experts in policy making and implementation, has also been pointed as been responsible for the woes in the sector.
Musing over the prospect of development in the Nigerian power sector, an expert, Engr. Isaac Adekanya said the lapses in the sector reform were traceable to some missing links in the operation of the power sector.
Adekanya, who is the Port Harcourt branch Chairman of the Nigeria Institute of Electronic, Electrical engineers, disclosed in an exclusive interview with The Tide, that the Nigerian power sector was yet to attain synergy in the three major areas that constitute the sector, such as Power Generation (Genco) power Distribution (DISCO) and Power Transmission (Transco).
According to him, not all the power generated in the country are transmitted and distributed to the end users.
“There are a lot of technical challenges in the generation, transmission and distribution of power in the country. Most of the power projects carried out in the country have no consideration for the distribution and transmission of the generated electricity to the end users. An example is the Omoku power project, which is a huge investment but had not been able to make maximal impact because of the challenges of transmission and distribution”.
Adekanya, who is also a fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers said similar challenges exist in the transmission of generated electricity to the National Electricity Centre at Osogbo. He said most of the power generated are wasted along the line before they get to the end users.
In his view, the concentration of generated electricity at the Osogbo Power Centre where the needs of consumers across the country are decided may not be serving the best interest of the various sections of the country.
He noted that such discretionary measures in the allocation of power may not truly represent the electricity demands of the various states of the nation.
Alternatively, Engr. Adekanya suggested that power generation, transmission and distribution should be based on comparative economic advantage, as the various parts of the nation have peculiar natural advantages in strategic location of energy sources.
“The various parts of Nigeria are disposed with vast energy sources that can be explored based on comparative advantage. In the north, there is abundance of solar energy source, in the middle belt there are rivers that can be harnessed for hydro power generation while the Niger Delta is blessed with enormous gas potentials for thermal energy.
“These energy sources can be explored fully to serve the power need of the various areas where they are located. The idea of evacuating generated power to Osogbo before distribution may not be entirely the best option for the country. Nigerians are in serious need of electricity to do their business. It is regrettable that at 57, the country still runs a generator economy”.
Adekanya, who is a proponent of diversification as the panacea for effective power sector reform, also faulted the allocation of the DISCO by the federal government.
He said the DISCOs were given out on political consideration rather than competence and liberalisation.
He noted that the conspicuous absence, or non involvement of experts with the requisite technical knowhow in the DISCO stifles development in the sub-sector, as those involved are more concerned about profit motive than effective service delivery.
He therefore advocated for full liberalisation of the DISCO for more players to be involved on a note of competition in service delivery as in the case of the telecommunication industry.
In his submission, another expert in renewable energy, Elder Elkanah Hanson said the future of Nigeria’s industrialisation depended on renewable energy which is a global phenomenon.
Elder hanson, who spoke with The Tide correspondent in Port Harcourt recently, said nations of the world are taking advantage of renewable energy to serve their electricity needs.
The elder statesman, pointed out that Nigerian electricity laws were based on colonial orientation and as such do not serve our peculiar development need.
To attain sustainable development in power sector reforms, he called for a total revocation of the obsolete electricity laws and adoption of inventions that are best suited for our polity.
Elder Hanson, who described the concentration of generated electricity at Osogbo as “economic piracy”, said the major problem with Nigeria was its behemoth federal status, that disposses the component units of the country from developing at their own pace.
He called for total restructuring of the centralised federal structure of the country and added that electricity should not be the exclusive reserve of the Federal Government.
“At 57 Nigeria has come of age and should not be toddling again. It is ridiculous that we are still battling with defects in the power sector, our value system must change. The fight against corruption must be thorough and complete. The Federal Government should declare a state of emergency in the power sector. The lumping of power ministry with works and housing is wrong. The power ministry should be made to stand on its own and an expert should be saddled with the responsibility of running the ministry”.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has stated that it was not against states building their own power projects to support incremental power.
Minister of power, works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola disclosed this at a meeting of the National Council of Power (NACOP) held in Jos, Pleateau State recently.
The minister explained that the law allows states to embark on electricity distribution under license through the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Fashiola further hinted that in the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRC) of the Federal Government, states are vested with enormous responsibilities to ensure that, “their residents comply with safety standards on building by not building on the right of way of 332/133,33 and 11KVA lines”.
He also urged states to encourage their residents to pay for consumed energy while the metering issue and estimated billing is addressed.
Fashola, who described the meter system as cost effective, called on state governments to set up debt verification teams with audit capacity to ascertain the debt profile and develop a payment plan which can be budgeted for. This he noted will help liquidity issues and contribute to the power sector reforms.
Considering the importance of power in the economic development of any nation, the 57th Independence anniversary of Nigeria offers an avenue for a critical review of the power sector for better service delivery.
The fact remains that competence and not politics should be the criteria for participation in the power sector. This will give more room for innovation and efficiency.

Taneh Beemene

Oil & Energy

Global Coal Consumption Hits Record Even As Coal Power Declines

Published

1 week ago

August 3, 2026

The Tide

Global coal consumption reached another record in 2025, seemingly contradicting years of discussion about phasing out the world’s most carbon-intensive fossil fuel.

But the headline number does not tell the whole story.

The latest Statistical Review of World Energy shows that global coal consumption rose to 166.0 exajoules last year. That represented an increase of 0.7% from 2024.

At the same time, global electricity generation from coal declined. Coal-fired power production fell 0.3% to 10,511 terawatt-hours.

Those two trends are not mutually exclusive. Coal is used not only to generate electricity, but also in steelmaking, cement production, and other industrial processes. The divergence also reflects a changing geographic picture in which coal is declining across much of the developed world while remaining deeply embedded in Asia’s industrial economy.

A Record With Important Qualifications

Coal consumption reached a record in absolute terms, but it did not keep pace with overall energy demand.

Total global energy supply increased from 592.2 exajoules in 2024 to 600.3 exajoules in 2025, an increase of about 1.4%. Coal grew more slowly, so its share of the global energy mix slipped from 27.9% to 27.7%. Thus, despite the global record in coal consumption, coal lost a small amount of market share.

This pattern appears frequently during energy transitions. A fuel can continue growing in absolute terms even as faster-growing alternatives reduce its share of the total. With global energy demand still rising, losing market share does not necessarily mean declining consumption.

Renewable energy provides a relevant comparison. Renewable energy supply increased by nearly 10% in 2025, far outpacing coal. But the world’s appetite for energy was large enough to accommodate growth in renewables and another record for coal at the same time.

Coal Is Increasingly an Asian Fuel

The most striking feature of the coal market is its geographic concentration.

Asia Pacific consumed 138.1 exajoules of coal in 2025, accounting for 83.2% of the global total. China alone consumed 92.2 exajoules, or 55.6% of all the coal used in the world.

India contributed another 23.1 exajoules, representing 13.9% of global consumption. Together, China and India accounted for almost 70% of the world’s coal use. Add Indonesia, and the three countries consumed nearly 73% of the total.

This is why broad statements about a global coal phaseout can be misleading. Coal may be steadily retreating in Europe and North America, but its future is increasingly being determined in Asia.

Non-OECD countries accounted for 85.2% of global coal consumption in 2025. Their coal use has grown at an average annual rate of 1.9% over the past decade. OECD consumption, by contrast, has declined at an annual rate of 4.8%.

Europe consumed just 4.4% of the world’s coal last year. The European Union’s share was only 2.8%, following another 3.2% decline in consumption.

The global total therefore combines two very different stories. One is a long-term retreat from coal across much of the developed world. The other is coal’s continued importance to the large and growing economies of Asia.

One surprise in the 2025 data is that coal-fired electricity generation declined even as total coal consumption increased.

China generated 5,756 terawatt-hours of electricity from coal, down 1.1% from 2024. India’s coal generation fell 3.0% to 1,464 terawatt-hours. Since those two countries produce nearly 69% of the world’s coal-fired electricity, relatively small percentage declines can have a large effect on the global total.

Coal generation across Asia Pacific declined 1.2%, while Europe posted another 3.4% decrease. The European Union’s coal generation fell 3.6% and accounted for only 2.6% of the global total.

The divergence between consumption and power generation indicates that coal demand outside the electric power sector helped support the record. Coal consumption statistics include industrial uses that are not captured by electricity-generation totals. Changes in plant efficiency, coal quality, inventories, and measurement can also prevent the two series from moving in perfect alignment.

Whatever the precise combination, the result is notable. The world consumed a record amount of coal while producing less electricity from it.

The United States broke sharply with the broader developed-world trend in 2025.

U.S. coal consumption rose 10.4% to 8.7 exajoules. Coal-fired electricity generation jumped 13.1% to 804 terawatt-hours, while domestic coal production increased 4.4%.

In absolute terms, the increase in U.S. coal consumption was larger than the net increase for the entire world. U.S. consumption rose by about 0.8 exajoules, while the global total increased by roughly 0.7 exajoules. Declines in several other countries offset part of the American increase.

Still, this should not be mistaken for a return to coal’s former dominance in the United States.

U.S. coal consumption remains about 62% below its 2005 peak. Coal-fired generation is approximately 63% below its 2007 high, and production is about 54% below its 1998 peak.

The 2025 increase was substantial, but it occurred within a long-term structural decline. The United States still accounted for just 5.3% of global coal consumption and 7.7% of global coal-fired generation.

Global coal production remained near record levels at 180.8 exajoules, but it was essentially flat in 2025.

China increased production by 1.7% and supplied 52.4% of the world total. Its coal consumption was nearly unchanged, but its imports fell 10.1%. The combination suggests that increased domestic production displaced a meaningful amount of imported coal.

That shift helped push global coal trade down 3.1% to 35.3 exajoules. Indonesia, the world’s largest exporter, saw exports fall 7.4%. U.S. exports declined 11.5%, while Colombian exports plunged 21.3%.

Thus, record global consumption did not translate into record international trade. Much of the world’s coal is produced and consumed within the same countries, especially China and India.

The 2025 data support neither the claim that coal is disappearing nor the claim that the energy transition has stopped.

Coal use reached a record, but its share of global energy declined. Coal-fired electricity generation fell, but industrial and other uses kept total consumption elevated. Coal rebounded sharply in the United States but remained far below its historical peak. Europe continued to move away from coal, while Asia accounted for more than four-fifths of global demand.

The coal market is no longer one unified global story. It is a widening divide between countries that are steadily reducing their dependence on coal and countries where it remains central to electricity, industry, and economic development.

That divide is likely to continue defining the coal market for many years.

By Robert Rapier

Oil & Energy

FG To Stop Electricity Subsidy Payments From 2027

Published

1 week ago

August 3, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has announced plans to end electricity subsidy payments from 2027 as part of efforts to tackle mounting liabilities in the power sector.

Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this at a media interactive session , in Abuja, at the weekend.

Tegbe said the Federal Government would phase out subsidies beginning from 2027, assuring Nigerians the policy would not deprive citizens of the benefits currently enjoyed under the subsidy regime.

According to him, the proposed removal forms part of broader reforms aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of the electricity sector while tackling the financial challenges confronting the industry.

Tegbe explained that despite the planned subsidy withdrawal, there are no immediate plans to increase electricity tariffs, reassuring consumers that the government is not considering a tariff hike in the short term.

“The phase-out of electricity subsidies will begin from 2027. However, there are no immediate plans to increase electricity tariffs. Our goal is to build a commercially viable power sector while protecting vulnerable consumers.

“The Power Consumer Assistance Fund will play a critical role in cushioning the impact on vulnerable consumers as we implement these reforms,” the minister stated.

He pointed out that implementation timeline and consumer protection measures would be unveiled as the reform process progresses, emphasizing that Nigeria’s electricity subsidy has remained a major fiscal burden.

Oil & Energy

Firm unveils New Products For Oil Facilities

Published

1 week ago

August 3, 2026

The Tide

An oil servicing firm, Solewant Group, has unveiled protective coatings and paints to secure oil facilities.

The products, manufactured at its new plant, sited in Alode Eleme, Rivers State, comprise of paints and coating that aid durability of oil facilities.

The products included the Solguard Architectural Coatings range comprising emulsion, matt and silk paints; Solguard Industrial Protective Coatings, featuring red oxide metal primer and alkyd gloss enamel; Solguard Heavy-Duty Protective Systems, including zinc-rich epoxy primer, high-build epoxy coat and acrylic polyurethane; and the flagship Novaguard Premium Specialty Coatings, made up of 100 per cent solid epoxy, polyurethane and polyurea systems for heavy industrial applications.

Unveiling the paints, at the weekend, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources(Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, described the products as innovative and pledged the federal government’s support to indigenous companies.

Lokpobiri described Solewant’s products as milestone in Nigeria’s industrialisation drive and local content development.

“This is clear evidence of the growth, which shows that local service providers in Nigeria have developed over the past 15 years.

“I’m very happy today that I have the privilege to witness this plant that will not just service Nigeria, but will service the entire African continent”, the minister said.

Lokpobiri praised Solewant’s expansion into Namibia, saying it marked the beginning of broader opportunities for Nigerian companies across Africa’s energy sector.

“We are fully committed to supporting companies like Solewant Group. That is the only way we can grow this industry.

“The solution to Nigeria’s energy problem lies with Nigerians. Nobody will come from anywhere to solve our problems in Africa”, he said.

He noted that the company’s new manufacturing capability would help address one of Nigeria’s biggest oil production challenges by providing locally manufactured protective coating solutions for ageing pipelines.

“Our pipes are completely corroded, and we need solutions that Solewant is providing to address that problem. What you have done here is a Nigerian solution to the Nigerian problem”, he said.

Speaking at the occasion, Solewant Group Chief Executive Officer, Solomon Ewanehi, said the investment was driven by the vision of ending Nigeria’s dependence on imported industrial coatings while building globally competitive manufacturing capacity.

In his words, “today we are not just launching the Solewant Coating Manufacturing Plant. We are launching confidence; confidence that Nigeria has the competence, the capacity and the courage to manufacture not just what we consume but also what we can export to compete with international standards.”

Ewanehi explained that the company unveiled 11 enhanced coating products under the Solguard and Novaguard brands, developed and manufactured in Nigeria for the oil and gas, marine, infrastructure and industrial sectors.

“Sixteen years ago, we asked a simple question: Why should Nigeria, a leading oil and gas nation, continue to import the very coatings that protect our critical assets?

“Today, that vision has become steel, concrete, plant and people”, he stated.

According to him, the products were designed to deliver world-class corrosion protection for pipelines, offshore platforms, refineries, storage tanks, bridges, power plants and other critical infrastructure operating in harsh environments.

Also speaking, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, described the project as “a powerful statement of confidence in Nigeria” and applauded Solewant for expanding local manufacturing despite ongoing economic reforms.

Represented by the his Special Adviser on Technical Matters, Prof Bolaji Babatunde, Akume said “your decision to expand manufacturing capability, develop technology and create value within Nigeria is a commendable example of the kind of private sector leadership that the Federal Government seeks to encourage me”.

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, represented by his Chief of Staff, Barr. Sunny Ewuhle, also commended the company for choosing Rivers State as its industrial base.

“We are calling on all local and foreign investors to emulate what Solewant Group has done in Rivers State,” he said, pledging the state’s support for manufacturing, local content development and industrial growth.

Namibia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, H.E. Walde Natangwe Ndavishiya, described the investment as timely, saying Solewant was well positioned to support Namibia’s emerging oil and gas industry.

“I particularly commend Solewant Group for taking the bold step of establishing a branch office in Namibia. This demonstrates confidence in Namibia and its emerging opportunities,” he stated.

By: Kevin Nengia