By Olusegun Obisanya
The decade’s long intractable energy crisis that has greeted Nigeria’s electricity supply can be resolved headlong with state-of-the-art energy solutions as General Electric (GE) restates commitment to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to bring this to fruition.
President of GE Nigeria, Mohammed Mijindadi stated this recently at an energy roundtable discourse in Lagos.
Mijindadi, who also doubles as GE Nigeria Sales Director for Anglophone and Francophone Africa for GE gas power business, posited that Nigeria’s natural endowment such as gas can be transformed to improve on the epileptic power supply to improve on the economy and households.
According to him, the power sector needs about 30,000MW to meet the current energy needs of Nigerians, saying large gap between installed and operational capacity as well as inadequate supply of electricity has slowed down Nigeria’s industrial, economic and societal growth.
Having highlighted the challenges facing the power sector like insufficient transmission and distribution infrastructure, inadequate power supply investment and capacity expansion, gas supply constraints, Mijindadi stated that renewable energy has the potential to deliver 60 percent of Nigeria’s energy demand.
“GE Renewable Energy provides technology, including substations, that support the country’s growing wind and solar generating capacity including ongoing works at the Kainji and Gurara power plants,” Mijindadi said.
He stated further, “Grid solutions and gas power services currently have over 100 active sites where our teams continue to work to deliver for our partners, taking all safety considerations and regulations into account.”
He disclosed that the General Electric built technologies can deliver up to 65 percent of the on-grid gas generation through gas turbines and grid equipment.
“With heavy duty gas turbines at 659MW Afam VI and 450MW Okpai plants, highly efficient and fuel flexible gas turbines at the 500MW Olorunsogo and Omotosho plants as well as our most innovative trailer-mounted fast power gas turbines currently being installed at the Afam III fast power plant, GE remains committed to the Nigerian power ambition,” President, GE Nigeria added.
Speaking, Executive Director, Services for GE Gas Power, Kenneth Oyakhire noted that although billions of dollars have been invested in existing gas power plants in Nigeria and Africa, the right services provided at the right time can help keep gas turbines running reliably and efficiently over their lifespan which extends to 20-30 years or longer.
“GE is providing a deep portfolio of services to power our customers plant’s full lifetime potential through purpose-driven solutions that are engineered to keep them competitive today, while preparing for a decarbonized tomorrow.
“We have the capability of delivering solutions for all applications from industries to Independent Power Producers and utilities supporting any asset mix, for all thermal power generation configurations,” Oyakhire said.
