The Federal Government has raised the total electricity generation capacity in the country to 14,000 megawatts, according to Dr Joy Ogaji, Executive Secretary, Association of Power Generation Companies, APGC.
Dr Ogaji disclosed this when speaking during the annual International Strategic Conference by the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria held last week.
He spoke barely a few days after the federal government said it’s targeting 350 gigawatts of electricity-generating capacity by 2043.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, said this when top management staff of the Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency visited him at the ministry in Abuja.
Amidst the constant power outages in the country, energy experts insist that what is currently required is 30, 000 megawatts of electricity to power homes, industries, and other uses across the country.
Last month, the national grid collapsed twice raising serious questions among Nigerians on whether the huge investments in the sector have really paid off.
Meanwhile, Dr Ogaji explained that the increase in capacity generation to 14,000 was a result of the addition of a $1.3bn Niger state-based 700MW Zungeru hydroelectric plant which came on stream in the second quarter of the year.
She said, “The national grid now has an installed power generation capacity of about 14, 000 megawatts, and this was made possible due to the Zungeru plant that came on stream this year.”
Minister of Power Bagudu said the power sector is a major priority of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration as Part of its National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan.
