The Federal Government,
yesterday, threatened to withdraw
operational licences of the
electricity Distribution Companies,
Discos, that are rejecting electricity
load allocations in the country.
Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu
Nebo, who issued the threat, while
featuring at the 2014 Ministerial
Platform to showcase his
scorecard in Abuja, blamed some
Discos for refusing to stock their
warehouses with equipment to
respond speedily to customers’
demands.
Expressing disappointment over
the development, which makes it
difficult for the consumers to enjoy
electricity supply, Nebo therefore
warned that, “from henceforth, any
Disco that rejects electricity load
allocation would be sanctioned or
has its license withdrawn.”
According to him, “the national
grid is limited in reach. The
available electricity is insufficient
to meet existing power needs, in
spite of shortage, government is
making effort to electrify the rural
communities.”
He said it was in a bid to bridge
the electricity deficit in the rural
areas that the President flagged off
Operation Light Up Rural Nigeria
(OLRN) Initiative on January 13,
2014 at Durumi, Shape and Waru
in the FCT using renewable energy.
The minister added that plans were
underway to replicate OLRN pilot
across the 36 states of the
federation.
Nebo who pegged the current
power generation in the country at
4,600 megawatts said 5,500
megawatts of electricity would be
achieved by December end.
On stranded power in the country,
Nebo said government, in its
efforts to get stranded power unto
the grid, identified a number of
companies willing to generate
power and export to the grid. The
Federal Ministry of Power is
coordinating the process with its
relevant agencies.
He explained that the companies
are: Ajaokuta Steel Company,
85mw; ALSCON, 100mw; Lafarge
Cement, 40mw; Obajana Cement
Plc, 35mw; Kaduna Refinery,
33.5mw; Geometric 22mw and
NESCO, 26mw respectively.