FG plans to adopt India power sector model Bookmark

Abuja - The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu
Nebo, said the Federal Government had
concluded plans to explore ways of
implementing the Indian power sector model
in Nigeria to transforming the sector.
Nebo made this known when he received a
delegation on power from India in Abujan on
Monday.
He said the ministry would soon summon a
stakeholders’ forum of all Generating
Companies (GENCOs), Distribution Companies
(DISCOs), and the regulatory bodies to take a
closer look at the Indian model.
The minister said that the Nigerian power
sector which was still in a transitional stage
after the privatisation still had a lot to learn
from the Indian experience.
According to him, this is because of the
peculiarity between both nations’ power
sector.
He said when the idea comes to fruition, the
Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company
plc., which was conceived as a stop-gap
agency might be transformed into a permanent
arrangement.
He said it would be under a Public Private
Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
Nebo also invited the Indian delegation to the
first National Council on Power conference
slated for August 2014 in order to have a
robust discussion.
The minister assured the delegation that the
Federal Government was committed to
achieving 10,000mw by the end of the year
despite the challenges.
The Chief Executive Officer of Eko Disco, Mr
Oladele Amoda, who spoke on behalf of the
DISCOS, said the company had already had a
technical arrangement with Tata of India.
Amodu urged the India delegation to take
seriously the issue of transfer of technology so
as to fast track the development of the sector.
Earlier, Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria,
Mr Ajjampur Ghenashyam, said Nigeria as the
hub of economic activities in the sub-region
should take the lead in the development of
regional power market.
Ghenashyam said India had achieved over 400
per cent leap in generation capacity in the last
10 years due to the competitiveness of the
market.
He said that countries like Nepal, Bangladesh,
Bhutan and Pakistan, had already been
enjoying from seamless cross border market
and this had further boosted confidence for
investment flow into the sector.
The envoy said that India was ready to partner
with Nigeria in the development of the
nation’s power sector. (NAN)