About 75 per cent of electricity consumed in Nigeria comes from diesel and petrol-powered generators, the latest reports released on Monday by the Society for Planet and Prosperity, GCA Capital Partners and Climate Advisers Network, showed.

Findings by the coalition indicated that about 25,000 megawatts of power utilised in Nigeria was from diesel and petrol-powered generators, while the national electricity grid only supplied less than 5,000 megawatts.

The groups made this public at a press briefing in Abuja, where they also unveiled 11 key measures required to galvanise actions for quick decision-making and smart solutions to achieving Nigeria’s net-zero target.

Speaking on some of the measures, the President, Society for Planet and Prosperity, Chukwumerije Okereke, said, “Number one measure is to increase the generation of electricity, both on-grid and off-grid. Nigeria currently generates about 5,000MW for a population of over 200 million people.

“5,000MW is about the amount of electricity that powers Heathrow Airport (London). South Africa generates 40 gigawatts (40,000MW). India, which we should be competing with, generates over 80GW (80,000MW). The lack of power is one major thing crippling Nigeria’s economy.”

This, he added, was one of the reasons why companies were not investing in Nigeria, leading to high unemployment rate across the country.

Okereke said investing in on-grid and off-grid power was a critical requirement to not just solve the problem of climate change, but to stimulate the economy.

“The second measure is to eliminate the use of diesel and petrol-powered generators all over the country. Diesel and petrol-powered generators account for about 25GW (25,000MW) of electricity in this country, while the national grid accounts for about 4GW (4,000MW).

“So we get nearly 75 per cent of our electricity in this country through generators, which is one of the most polluting sources of electricity generation. Therefore, the elimination of diesel and petrol-powered generators is the second on the list that we have identified,” he stated.

On how to eliminate the use of diesel and petrol-powered generators, the Chief Executive, GCA Capital Partners, Obi Ugochukwu, explained that it could be achieved by the massive generation of electricity through solar, hydro and other renewable energy sources.

Punch