Enugu State Government, Tuesday, held stakeholders’ engagement and Consultation on Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission’s draft regulation framework , disclosing that the state is working towards moving it’s electricity capacity from the 70 Mega Watts currently supplied by the national grid to 700Mega Watts through private sector investment; assuring an open market policy.
The State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah gave the assurance on Tuesday, in his address at the opening of the event held at Nike Lake Resort ,Enugu.
pix- SSG, Prof Onyia
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, Governor Mbah said the meeting was critical to the development of Enugu State electricity sector, as the provisions of draft regulatory instruments prepared by the Commission would guide the development of the market.
He said the state government was aware of the importance of the electricity industry and was determined to tackle the numerous challenges and issues to boost the living standards of the citizens of the State.
Governor Mbah added that the state government was eager to get the inputs of industry stakeholders into the state’s draft electricity regulatory framework to make the state’s electricity market viable.
“We have numerous smart schools and healthcare facilities under development, administrative offices, tertiary and technical institutions, all in need of reliable electricity supply services and smart solutions that Government is available to further engage with, when this process is completed
” We had promised Ndi Enugu in our manifesto of resuscitating pipe-borne water supply, improve security, education and healthcare delivery services, improved road networks, create the enabling environment for business development, job creation and economic growth. These promises we intend to keep however, would not be possible if electricity services were not improved” he said.
Inviting investors to invest in the Enugu electricity sector, Governor Mbah said, “we are opening up the entire value chain of the electricity market in Enugu State for all market participants to play, from fuel supply to generation, transmission to distribution, electricity retailing through off-grid to mini-grid solutions and from metering to energy efficiency applications.
“We are mindful of the fact that to attract the right kind of businesses to our State, we must support the provision of the essential infrastructure for these businesses to operate efficiently for the long term’, he said .
In his speech, the Chairman of Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission, Chijioke Okonkwo said the visions of the Commission were to ensure a universal access to electricity in Enugu state; to have a transparent licensing, ensure consumer protection ; work with developers to develop a thriving network among others.
He lamented the present power deficits in the state, saying that the Commission needed to carry everyone along from the outset in order to build investor confidence required to turn things around.
“We have given ourselves some projected targets that within the next two years (2026), Enugu State should be consuming at least 300 megawatts and by 2030 we would have hit at least 700 megawatts.
“Right now, we are getting approximately 70 megawatts from the national grid. And this is not sufficient for us to say that we want to put ourselves in the position to industrialize. We want to change that narrative.
“However, industry players and operators want a place where they can carry out commercially viable businesses. They are here to make money, but they are also expected to provide services that are reliable and sustainable and also undertake these service for the long term and not the short term.
“So, this engagement will give them an opportunity to make inputs and let us agree on what these regulations should speak to in order to support their investment initiatives before the finalisation, adoption, and implementation of the regulatory framework,” Okonkwo said.
In his speech, the Managing Director of Siemens Energy Nigeria, Seun Suleiman, commended the transparency of the state government through its regulatory agency.
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“I see a lot of transparency here today. Each Commissioner is breaking down all the discussions in terms of the regulation and how you will get the permit. We are very happy because we also want to support a lot of these captive power investors with our ranges of gas turbines, which we have done in so many places,” Suleiman enthused.
On her part, the Acting Managing Director of the Infrastructure Bank, Nkiru Chime, said, “Enugu State is being very proactive in setting out how the electricity market will play. But funding is needed to drive the investment, and that is why we are here to provide an avenue to enable all the participants or market developers to attract the right kind of funding to develop the market. We believe that once the projects are structured correctly, once the projects are viable, you can attract an unlimited source of funding.”
Speaking with newsmen, developers, operators, investors, financiers, consumers, other stakeholders commended what they described as the transparency and proactiveness of the state in its effort to build an electricity market where everyone’s interest is protected..
Author: Maureen Ikpeama