AEDC MD urges teamwork to resolve power sector challenges

The Managing Director, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Mr Christopher Ezeafulukwe has called for team work among operators of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) to resolve the challenges in the sector.

AEDC’s Marketing Officer,  Mr Donald Etim, quoted Ezeafulukwe as making the call in a statement on Sunday.

Etim, in the statememt, said that the AEDC managing director made the call while speaking at the Bi-annual joint generation, operations, and  Electricity Distribution  Company (DisCos) planning meeting in Abuja.

He added that the sector can only grow when the various segments work in unity.

According to him, while there have been improvements since the power sector was partially privatised 10 years ago, a lot of work is still required to meet the objectives of the sector.

He observed that the sector has been plagued by the issue of sustainability in policies and operations, saying that the biggest question confronting the players “today is to collectively ensure adequate and reliable supply of electricity to  valued customers even in the face of challenges.

“To overcome the mistrust of the public in the sector players, operators need to work as a team across the value chain.

“A team means a group of people who work together toward achieving a common purpose or goal.

“And our common goal is to ensure that we collectively and sustainably ensure electricity supply to customers.

“Incidentally, we are all customers. That is the funny thing about the product that we either produce, transmit, or distribute.

“We are not in that kind of business where some people sell things that they don’t use. And so we need to work together as a team,” he said.

The Managing Director, therefore, urged participants to take a holistic view of the industry and come up with a sustainable plan on ways to improve the performance of the sector.

He said there were issues in the sector that needed to be addressed, stressing that the need to do so with a focus on the sustainable development of the industry.

The AEDC chief said AEDC remains committed to delivering better services to its customers as “it is  restrategising and refocusing on improving electricity supply to its customers.”

The statement also quoted Manager, Transmission Service Provider, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Ajiboye Oluwagbenga,  who spoke at the conference, as saying that transmission capacity had increased significantly to 8,500 megawatts.

He gave an assurance that TCN currently has the capacity to evacuate every quantum of electricity produced by power generation companies in the country.

“We have demonstrated in practical terms through simulations that TCN can conveniently wheel 8,500MW.

“But up till now, the power generation that is coming to the grid is always revolving around 4,000MW.”

Also speaking at the event, according to the statement, was the Senior Manager, Plant Performance, Omotosho (Gas) Power Plant, Mr Onyekachi Nwosu, who urged the government to tackle the issue of gas supply to the power plants.

“There should be more investment in gas supply to guarantee supply to power generators.

“In our sector, 95 percent are thermal power plants, meaning they use gas. And the challenge has been getting adequate gas to power the plants.

“The next challenge is the issue of the networks both at the transmission and distribution ends.

“The networks are fragile and that is the importance of this meeting.

“We are here to plan and ensure that we manage what we have and to ensure that services to consumers are improved on,”  he said.