Nigeria keeps on being the largest economy in Africa, regardless of having almost 25% of the power generation capacity of its principal economic competitor South Africa.
Therefore, there is not any doubt that the country has a tremendous potential to become the first global superpower on the continent.
According to Onyeche Tifase, the CEO of Siemens Nigeria, the country can potentially attain more than 7% annual GDP enlargement, making it a top-20 economy by 2030 with GDP of over $1.62 trillion—four times bigger than the current GDP.
Therefore, over 70 million Nigerians will be moved above the poverty line in ten years. However, such a perfect potential can never be realized without adequate access to continuous electrification, which is the spinal column of any flourishing economy. These are the transmission, power generation, the efficient application, and distribution of electrical energy through automation.
According to NAIJ Newspaper, presently, almost 60% of Nigerians access to electricity. The old and wasteful network generates the majority of this power that loses over 8.6 GW (70%) of Nigeria’s 12.5 GW available capacities.
All actual significant losses are the direct result of inefficient monitoring technology and old infrastructure. Investment in certain nonstop electrification technology will unswervingly begin the scourge of poverty and inequality, unemployment, creating a wealthy Nigeria.
The never-ending access to electricity will make businesses more productive, hospitals will provide improved medical care, children will get the better education, and homes will become more comfortable and protected.
How to make a stable future?
Power generation capability must be streamlined, to make electricity more accessible to the citizens of Nigeria. The Azura Edo Independent Power Project meets both criteria. This cycle gas turbine will additionally create over 460 MW to the national network when it is launched in 2018.
When it is released, it will add over three GW of extra capacity. It is about 20& of Nigeria’s predictable capability by 2020. It will undoubtedly be a huge boost in power generation for a country at Nigeria’s phase of growth.
Nigeria should also implement progressive technologies into its decentralized system of power generation. These are solar, gas, hydro, and wind electricity systems. Mobile power generation is another rising trend. It is the newest type of the plug and play solution where the wholly modular station is built to precise specifications and delivered to manufacturing plants that work in remotely-located areas with reduced infrastructure.
Getting power using a smart digital network
Distribution and transmission are similarly challenging links in the electrification chain of Nigeria. Good access to electricity is essential to supporting increasing city populations and creating well-organized cities that run on smart digital networks.
With the help of the smart digital network, all renewable energy can be included in all accessible power systems. As a result, all areas which need it will have the efficient and reliable access to stable electricity.
Physical income collection always opens the doors for corruption. So, it is here where smart metering software is essential. It guarantees that all power spending information will be directly sent to a power utility using a network of application servers, making possible instant supply and payment.
What about the future?
The Power Sector Recovery Program performed by the Nigerian government has already started implementing reforms in power sector. In particular, it has reduced losses in distribution companies, improved the industry’s financial capability, increased access to electricity services, and mobilized the investment flow into the private sector.
For the whole success of PSRP, independent power producers and the government must collaborate with reputable suppliers across the whole value chain, counting transmission, power generation, automation, and distribution. Never in the history of Nigeria, has the country had such a tremendous access to the technology and expertise to be able to create new country grounding on the reorganized electrification infrastructure. It is a great chance for the country.
