Power Sector Strategist and Mobility Communications Executive Eddise Ekong while contributing to discourse on Power Perspective Platform  welcomed the private sector giant initiative announced by the President of Dangote group Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

According existing supporting infrastructure facilities may not help in the realization of the objective because these infrastructure are in short supply.

He asked ‘  ..the real question is , will the supporting infrastructure and policy environment rise to meet this or will we generate another round of impressive numbers that don’t translate to light on for ordinary Nigerians and the manufacturers’

Ekong noted that Total installed power generation capacity in Nigeria is said to be about 13,000MW, but regretted that the nation’s wheeling capacity by Transmission Company of Nigeria ( TCN) overs around 4,000MW and 5,000MW even though national installed wheeling  capacity is estimated at 7,000MW.

He noted that this mismatch in infrastructure capacity often ends up in incessant system collapse and vandalism.

In order to achieve positive results from the proposed generation expansion, the following steps should as a matter of urgency, be addressed by the policy makers and the authority in charge of power sector in the country,

1.  There will be the urgent need to accelerate transmission infrastructure upgrade for more decentralized wheeling electricity.

2. There should be clear regulatory support for embedded generation and captive power.

3. Gas supply security must be given top priority.

44. Putting in place sensible framework, such that private investment complements rather than clashes with public efforts,

Alhaji Dangote in an interview with the managing Director of International Finance Corporation (IFC) Mr. Makhtsri Dipo recently announced  investment interest to generate 20,000MW of electricity noting that what is critical to most African leaders today is energy to drive industrialization,

Though details of the plan is still unknown, as the nature of the proposed power plant either hydro or thermal driven is not known not even the location,