Nigeria relies on generators for 75% of electricity – Report
According to the most recent assessments from the Society for Planet and Prosperity, GCA Capital Partners, and Climate Advisers Network, which were released on Monday, almost 75% of the electricity used in Nigeria is generated by diesel and gasoline-powered generators.
According to findings by the coalition, less than 5,000 megawatts of the approximately 25,000 megawatts of power used in Nigeria came from the national electricity system and were generated by diesel and gasoline-powered generators.
The organisations made this information public during a press conference in Abuja, where they also announced 11 essential actions needed to inspire swift decisions and clever solutions to reaching Nigeria’s net-zero aim.
Speaking on some of the measures, the President of, the Society for Planet and Prosperity, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, said, “Number one measure is to increase the generation of electricity, both on-grid and off-grid. Nigeria currently generates about 5,000MW for a population of over 200 million people.
“5,000MW is about the amount of electricity that powers Heathrow Airport (London). South Africa generates 40 gigawatts (40,000MW). India, which we should be competing with, generates over 80GW (80,000MW). The lack of power is one major thing crippling Nigeria’s economy.”
This, he added, was one of the reasons why companies were not investing in Nigeria, leading to a high unemployment rate across the country.
Okereke said investing in on-grid and off-grid power was a critical requirement to not just solve the problem of climate change but to stimulate the economy.
The second measure is to eliminate the use of diesel and petrol-powered generators all over the country. Diesel and petrol-powered generators account for about 25GW (25,000MW) of electricity in this country, while the national grid accounts for about 4GW (4,000MW).
“So we get nearly 75 per cent of our electricity in this country through generators, which is one of the most polluting sources of electricity generation. Therefore, the elimination of diesel and petrol-powered generators is the second on the list that we have identified,” he stated.
The Chief Executive of GCA Capital Partners, Obi Ugochukwu, emphasized that the need for diesel and gasoline-powered generators might be eliminated by producing enormous amounts of electricity using solar, hydroelectric, and other renewable energy sources.
