From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Following threats by gas companies to declare force majeure in their operations over a legacy debt of N2 trillion, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the same amount for the generation companies. The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adekola Adelabu disclosed this at the BusinessDay Energy Conference in Lagos, at the weekend.
According to Adebayo, the fund will defray legacy debts to gas companies to allow efficient gas supply to the power sector going forward.
Also, to promote renewable energy penetration and off-grid solution, the federal government is about to commence the World Bank Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) $750 million facility to increase access to electricity for 2.5 million people through the deployment of solar home systems and mini grids to households, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) throughout Nigeria, educational and health facilities.
“This is in addition to the recently concluded $550 million Nigeria Electrification Plan which has bridged the energy access deficit by providing electricity to over 1.1 million households, MSMEs, educational and healthcare facilities in unserved and underserved rural communities. We believe that the global shift towards renewable energy is not just an environmental necessity but also an economic one. Nigeria is blessed with abundant renewable resources, and we aim to continue tapping into these renewable sources to diversify our energy mix, reduce our carbon footprint, and ensure energy security.
“We have also secured a presidential approval to defray legacy debts to gas companies to allow efficient gas supply to the power sector going forward and a payment mechanism to address Generation Companies debts to ensure necessary maintenance are resolved and evacuation capacity optimisation. With this effort, we aim to not only increase our generation capacity but also improve the efficiency and reliability of our power supply,” Adelabu said.
