FG sets 6000 Megawatts as 2024 electricity target

Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, has said that the Federal Government is planning to increase power generation from 4000 Megawatts to 6000 by the end of 2024 to boost electricity.

Adelabu said this in Abuja on Monday when the members of the Senate Committee on Power visited the Ministry.

The minister said the Federal Government plans to achieve 6000 megawatts of power using the hydro and solar plants to increase supply of electricity to households and businesses.

He said it was unfortunate that the highest electricity currently generated is only 5800 megawatts.

“The infrastructure is lying there, without adequate maintenance, the turbines are getting rust.

”With proper investment in place, we can generate 6000 megawatts before the end of 2024,” he said.

The minister also said that the Federal Government would transform the Electricity Distribution Companies, (DisCos).

According to him, if they don’t perform, the entire power sector is not performing.

“We are putting pressure on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to ensure that the DisCos sit up and if they have to withdraw their licenses for not performing, why not?

“We are unbundling the DisCos along state lines as some of them are too big for efficiency and effectiveness.

“Some of them are serving so many states, so we are rearranging and restricting the DisCos along state lines so that each state government will know the distribution company responsible for their states,” he said.

The minister said it was time the federal and state governments started exercising their rights in the management and operations of the power sector.

“We have left it for the private sector for too long and they have messed it up.

“We also plan to franchise the DisCos, so that we can have smaller DisCos that are ready to invest,” he said.

(NAN)