Generators Provide 48.6% Of Electricity In Nigeria – NBS

Generators powered by petrol, diesel and gas provide 48.6 per cent of the electricity consumed by power users across the country, latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed.
A document by the NBS on Power Sector Data Preview, which was presented to the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry this month and obtained at the weekend showed that almost half of the country’s electricity supply was from generators.
The report showed that the national grid was providing 51.2 per cent of the country’s power needs, indicating that many citizens in Nigeria depend on generators for electricity.
The NBS document showed that petrol-powered generators accounted for the bulk (22.6 per cent) of the electricity supplied by generators. This was followed by diesel-powered generators (16.6 per cent), while gas-powered generators accounted for 9.4 per cent of the self-generated electricity.
According to the report, out of 51.2 per cent of electricity provided by the country’s power grid, gas-powered plants account for 39.5 per cent, while hydroelectric plants provide 11.7 per cent.
Off-grid renewables, according to the bureau, accounted for 0.1 per cent of the power consumed nationwide.
Commenting on the poor performance of the power sector despite being privatised more than eight years ago, the President, Nigerian Institution of Power Engineers (NIPE), Israel Abraham, said the expectations of citizens in the privatised industry had not been met.
He disclosed this in a presentation sent to the ACCI, titled, “Nigerian power sector reform: Implementation, challenges and way forward”.
Abraham said, “In its efforts to improve the power supply situation in the country, the government opted for the reforms and eventual privatisation of the sector to attract private sector finance, technical and administrative expertise”.