Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has called for strong collaboration between the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) on enhancement of local production of electricity components.
Adelabu, who spoke during a meeting with the management of the ECN at his office in Abuja, noted that local production of electricity equipment will ensure a reduction in importation and conserve foreign exchange, in line with the vision of President Bola Tinubu for the power sector.
In this regard, the Minister challenged the two agencies to form a partnership that would entail research and data collection, which he said would also enhance planning.
According to him, the desire of President Tinubu is to get the power sector on track to ensure that all other sectors of the economy also grow.
“The ECN and the REA need to synergise. They need to come together, share research, and build data that will help the sector in local production of the components of electricity.
“We must do everything possible in this regard as this will make Mr. President to be happy that in his time, we are manufacturing meters and other critical inputs for ourselves.
“Today, we are happy that our export is growing higher than our imports and we must encourage this and conserve our foreign exchange”, the Minister said.
The Minister also emphasised the need for data, saying that “the absence of data is a serious challenge to us as we cannot plan without data and you cannot get accurate information without data”.
According to him, the ministry is planning to have a central data pool and informed the ECN to be part of the process.
“We are going to have a central data pool, and you must be part of this process. All the stakeholders in the power sector, including the GenCos and the DisCos, will be brought into the data process, and this is going to get around all the agencies of the ministry so that we can have reliable data for the sector.
“Research is also very important and critical to us, so your agency must also work closely with the Research Department of the ministry, as this will help us in our planning”, Adelabu said, adding that if this can be achieved, the challenges of the sector can be effectively dealt with.
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For a better working relationship, Adelabu said that ECN is expected to be part of the Power Sector Working Group, which meets every quarter, saying, “Although you deal with some other issues according to your mandate, your agency must be part of the working group of the sector.
“If we are talking of Power generation, the hydro is still the most reliable all over the world. We have over 300 small dams scattered all over the states of the nation. These small dams are very important to us.
“We need local capacity in turbine production as this is the most critical element in the hydro power generation. We must make use of these dams for our power generation, and your agency will play an important role in this process.
“States must also take the responsibility of generation, transmission, and distribution so that the challenges of power can be reduced. These turbines are what we must lay emphasis upon”, he said, adding that the ministry is ready to support it, as the turbine is the most important part of this process”, the Minister said.
The Director General of ECN, Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, expressed readiness of the agency collaborate with the ministry to achieve the vision of President Tinubu in turning around the nation’s economy.
