Director General, Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Prof. Eli Jidere Bala, has said that about 45,000MW installed capacity of electricity would be required by the country in year 2020 and about 120,000MW by 2030.
However, Bala noted that if the economy is to grow at double the current rate, the supply for electricity would have to reach about 90,000MW by 2020 and over 300,000MW by 2030.
He disclosed this at a two-day national workshop on the review of the National Energy Master Plan organised by the commission in collaboration with other stakeholders, in Abuja.
According to him, a study conducted by ECN on Nigeria’s long term energy and supply using IAEA energy planning tools of MAED and MESSAGE predicted huge amount of energy requirements in the economy under various economics scenarios.
The study indicates that under the reference scenario, “Nigeria would require about 45,000MW installed capacity of electricity by year 2020 and about 120,000MW by 2030. If however, the economy is to grow by double the current rate, the supply for electricity would have to reach about 90,000MW by 2020 and over 300,000MW by 2030.
“On the other hand, Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) demand may grow from about 40 million litres/day in 2015 to about 77 million litres/day in 2020 and 155 million litres/day by 2030 in the reference scenario; whereas the optimistic scenario, demand could reach 97 million lit res/day by 2020 and 242 million lit-res/day in 2030,” it added.
He said, “it is our belief that a strategic National Energy Master Plan is imperative for a balanced and coordinated development of energy in Nigeria to meet national Transformation Agenda to enable it to be within the twenty largest economies in the world by 2020 and thereafter.
“The NEMP will ensure the development of the nation’s energy resources, with diversified energy resources option, to achieve national energy security and an efficient energy delivery system with an optimal energy resource mix that will guarantee increased contribution of energy delivery productive activities to national income and adequate, reliable and sustainable supply of energy at appropriate costs and in and environmentally friendly manner, to the various sectors of the economy, for national development.”
Speaking in similar vein, Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Abdul Bulama, represented by Director General, National Board of Technology Incubation, Engr. Muhammed Jibrin, commended ECN for coming up with the initiative to review the draft National Energy Master Plan and make it more sensitive to current realities within and outside Nigeria, adding that “Energy plays a significant duals role as an indispensable driver of growth in the economy, and as generator of income for development in the country.”
Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Pa Lamin Beyai, expressed delight because, according to him, “the document to be reviewed is one of the success stories of the UNDP’s long standing partnership with the Energy Commission of Nigeria.
