The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has assured Nigerians that they will soon start enjoying improved power supply across the country.
This was even as he stated that the totality of the re-enacted Electricity Act had changed the entire landscape of the power sector.
The minister disclosed this at the 3rd edition of the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria annual workshop in Abuja on Thursday.
According to him, the 2023 Electricity Act had liberalised electricity generation, transmission, and distribution while also empowering states, organisations, and even individuals to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity.
He noted that the key part of the 2023 Electricity Act was the development of the Integrated National Electricity Policy and Strategic Implementation Plan.
“We are working with the National Council on Power (NCP) to develop and send the implementation strategy to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval,” he said
“Part of the strategy in our road map is the emphasis on the bottom-up approach, unlike the top-down approach of the past.
“The implication, with the bottom-up approach, is that we will prioritise metering, distribution, and transmission infrastructure. In the short term, we will focus on customers down to distribution and transmission infrastructure. This is to ensure that a significant portion of what is generated currently gets to end users.
“We will also pay attention to the generation segment, particularly in areas of distributed (embedded) power from renewable energy sources, while at the same time advancing base load power through thermal and hydroelectric plants in the medium to long term”, Adelabu said.
He further noted that the administration would explore the country’s regional energy potential.
“We will focus on solar energy in the North, mini hydropower plants in the Middle Belt and the Southwest, hybridised with solar, while our coastal states will be identified for wind energy utilisation.
“Taking all the above into consideration, especially with the liberalisation of the sector, Nigerians will soon start to experience the objective that led to the Act, which is improved power supply across the country,” the minister said.
