Page 13 - AfrElec Week 37 2021

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

said Scatec Solar CEO Raymond Carlsen power. supply to the consumers. Experts in the sector,
in October 2020, when the operation was Kendal is one of the largest indirect dry- however, provide a guide on what they believe
finalized. “With this transaction, we see great cooled power stations in the world, and uses the new minister would have to do to succeed,
potential in broader project origination and significantly less water in its cooling processes and others that are forbidden.
geographical expansion into growth markets compared to conventional power stations. The There are various ongoing policies that
in South East Asia and sub-Sahara[n] Africa.” station has six 686 MW units. could thrive and win the hearts of Nigerians
in the power sector if they are given active
push by a minister. Top of this is the desire
to recapitalize the Distribution Companies
ESKOM POLITICS (DisCos) to ease their liquidity challenge and
make them perform. The federal government
Kendal fire causes New power minister for still owns 40 percent in the DisCos and there
is the need for the minister to work with the
loadshedding in SA Nigeria Bureau of Public Enterprises to have them
recapitalised.
Following a fire at its Kendal Power Station in As the new Minister of Power, Engr. Abubakar The Transmission Company of Nigeria
Gauteng over the weekend, Eskom confirmed Aliyu, takes charge of Nigeria’s power sector, (TCN) had a lot of turbulence under the
that load shedding will in all probability be there are some quick-wins the minister could previous minister, starting from the removal
averted. gain while avoiding pitfalls, to accelerate the of the Managing Director, Mr Usman Gur
Kendal Power Station’s unit 3 returned improvement in electricity supply services. Mohammed, last year, to appointing an
to service on Monday afternoon and Unit Engr. Aliyu was appointed minister of acting MD who has spent one year and four
2 returned to service on Tuesday evening, power on September 1, 2021, following an months without confirmation; and to the non-
according to Eskom. announcement at the Federal Executive inauguration of the board of TCN after they
This follows a controlled shutdown of these Council (FEC) meeting. Engr. Aliyu was the were appointed in January this year.
two units after a fire broke out in the power Minister of State for Works and Housing, The minister would have to work with
station’s Unit 1 early on Saturday morning and working with the Minister of Works and the Secretary to the Government of the
damaged its generator transformer. Housing, Babatunde Fashola, the Daily Trust Federation (SGF) and the Presidency to
That unit will only return to service in reported. inaugurate the board, and if that has been
November. Further investigations will be Between 2015 and this year, this is the third nullified as learnt in some quarters, new
conducted to determine the root cause of the minister of power President Muhammadu personalities must be immediately appointed
fire. Buhari will be appointing. and inaugurated while TCN would have to get
“While Eskom will be forced to increase While the first was Mr Fashola, who had a substantive head.
diesel consumption, we do not anticipate headed the merged Ministry of Power, Works In 2019, the federal government
that any load shedding will be implemented and Housing from November 2015 to 2019; announced a deal with AG Siemens to reset
as a result of the incident. We urge members the erstwhile Minister of Power, Engr. Sale the power sector as part of the Power Sector
of the public to continue using electricity Mamman, assumed office in August 2019 and Reform Programme (PSRP) initiated under
sparingly to assist the country,” Eskom said in vacated office on September 1. Fashola. The deal had targeted revamping the
a statement on Monday morning. However, in spite of these changes, DisCos and TCN networks such that Nigeria
Emergency generation typically involves Nigerians say the power sector has not had can attain on-grid energy of 7,000 megawatts
using open-cycle gas turbines, which run on the improvement they expected which would (MW) this year. However, there are less than
diesel. It is a very expensive way to generate have translated to more hours of electricity four months left for the year and power supply

Week 37 16•September•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P13