When will we learn in this country?! Coal is the answer to our electricity problems, but maybe because it will give Igbos jobs in Enugu, some people don’t want it exploited. SMH.
http://zikistmovement.igbodefender.com/2017/04/07/nigeria-in-darkness-as-fg-continues-ignoring-coal/

Because some people don't want us to exploit coal, businesses are closing down all over the country.

The frozen fish seller cannot sell fish to buy food for her kids. The blogger is losing viewers and adsense revenue. Everyone is suffering. Big companies are forced to use money they would have used to pay worker's salaries to buy diesel. Unless Nigerians insist on coal exploitation, we may be in some deep deep s--t in this country.

Coal is not an effective energy source because it releases greenhouse gases that is not good for the environment. It's not exactly true that the FG is punishing the Igbo's by neglecting coal like you think.
Even advanced countries with abundant coal deposits are shying away from it.

The biggest economies in the world, the United States and China use coal. Germany, the biggest economy in the EU uses coal. There is no justifiable reason for Nigeria not to use coal for electricity, or would you rather we remained in this darkness?

Have you bothered to ask yourselves who's authorising the importation of generators into this country ?

A simple answer to this will let you know our leaders are not ready to develop anything so long as they are making money from the sufferings of Nigerians.

Nobody stopping anyone exploiting coal actually. Coal is already being mined and used by industry within country. Also if you Read ERGP coal power plants part of plan.

Blue3k:
Interesting stats I pulled up about coal production. Despite being known as coal city Enugu produces none. Benue has rich coal reserves but doesn't produce any. Northern states like Nasarawa produce more currently.

Coal production by state (tons)

Kogi - 911,764.19
Gombe - 77,364.60
Nasarawa - 26.67
Enugu - 0
Benue - 0

Blue3k:
Nobody stopping anyone exploiting coal actually. Coal is already being mined and used by industry within country. Also if you Read ERGP coal power plants part of plan.

Clean coal technology is expensive. Coal mining is very very risky and Nigeria has poor regulation capability. I still advise the FG to develop coal but we have to be as turpentine and go for the best companies in safety and efficiency

igbodefender:
The biggest economies in the world, the United States and China use coal. Germany, the biggest economy in the EU uses coal. There is no justifiable reason for Nigeria not to use coal for electricity, or would you rather we remained in this darkness?

This has nothing to do with ethnic defense, i will however agree with your statements quoted above. Please note that the coal production in Kogi is by a private company, named something Zuma, and the top management is Ibo. You may want to find out why Ibo men left Enugu coal deposit to invest in Kogi.

But it is true we need to vary our energy mix to guarantee energy security. It makes no sense to share in global warming problems and also miss out on the benefit of producing green house gases.

Ovamboland:


This has nothing to do with ethnic defense, i will however agree with your statements quoted above. Please note that the coal production in Kogi is by a private company, named something Zuma, and the top management is Ibo. You may want to find out why Ibo men left Enugu coal deposit to invest in Kogi.

But it is true we need to vary our energy mix to guarantee energy security. It makes no sense to share in global warming problems and also miss out on the benefit of producing green house gases.

Insightful remarks. But an electricity market should be created for coal in Nigeria by the construction of ccoal fired power plants. Currently, there is none (Oji River is moribond). So the country can't use coal for electricity, and we remain in pitch darkness.

igbodefender:


Insightful remarks. But an electricity market should be created for coal in Nigeria by the construction of ccoal fired power plants. Currently, there is none (Oji River is moribond). So the country can't use coal for electricity, and we remain in pitch darkness.

They can use it. There's supposed to be a coal power plant coming online in 2018 in Kogi.

Blue3k:


The can use it. There's supposed to be a coal power plant coming online in 2018 in Kogi.

You're right nobody is stopped from investing in coal production and use for power generation. Dangote is supposed to have converted the kilns in his cement plant from gas fired to coal burning

Cjrane2:
Because most coal is in Enugu and Benue states, they won't even talk about coal. They are thinking of nuclear power plants.

If Nigeria's coal deposits were in Katsina, Sokoto or Kano, those Fulanis running Nigeria to the ground would be tumbling over themselves building coal power plants and steel plants.

That is why Nigeria must restructure in order to develop.

Is anything preventing Enugu state government putting together a consortium of local and foreign investors to invest in coal production and power generation.
Look at the example of Lagos state and Atlantic city project, they had the dream and put together investors to make it a reality. All these while Lagos state was an opposition state

igbodefender:


Insightful remarks. But an electricity market should be created for coal in Nigeria by the construction of ccoal fired power plants. Currently, there is none (Oji River is moribond). So the country can't use coal for electricity, and we remain in pitch darkness.

Do you know what the current MYTO tariff for Electricity generated from coal is? Are you willing to pay a cost-reflective unsubsidised tariff for said Electricity?

Base load coal fired power generation should be developed. Problem is most Nigerians would rather fuel their generators than pay the actual cost for Power.

Cjrane2:
Because [b]most coal is in Enugu and Benue states, they won't even talk about coal. They are thinking of nuclear power plants.

If Nigeria's coal deposits were in Katsina, Sokoto or Kano, those Fulanis running Nigeria to the ground would be tumbling over themselves building coal power plants and steel plants.

That is why Nigeria must restructure in order to develop. [/b]

The bolded is based on which asset valuation report?

Unless private investment comes in,then we are in for a long thing..coal exploitation is expensive..... The state governments have to partner with the ministry of mineral resources

babyfaceafrica:
Unless private investment comes in,then we are in for a long thing..coal exploitation is expensive..... The state governments have to partner with the ministry of mineral resources

The political will to exploit coal is amazingly not there, despite the fact that government has lost a lot of political capital due to Nigeria's longstanding power shortages. One has to ask why.

The government prefers to build nuclear plants we cannot manage at present rather than exploit safe and abundant coal in the face of unavailable gas. Why?

locutas:


Do you know what the current MYTO tariff for Electricity generated from coal is? Are you willing to pay a cost-reflective unsubsidised tariff for said Electricity?

Base load coal fired power generation should be developed. Problem is most Nigerians would rather fuel their generators than pay the actual cost for Power.

Nigerians are willing to pay (fair) bills for actual power consumed. We are just asking for coal power plants, not tomorrow, but today.

No economy can grow without adequate power; and Nigeria's current power output is a big joke!

igbodefender:


Nigerians are willing to pay (fair) bills for actual power consumed. We are just asking for coal power plants, not tomorrow, but today.

No economy can grow without adequate power; and Nigeria's current power output is a big joke!

"Fair bills" do not, and have never stimulated investment in a market-based power system. Only a cost-reflective tariff can do that.

matrixme:
Coal is not an effective energy source because it releases greenhouse gases that is not good for the environment. It's not exactly true that the FG is punishing the Igbo's by neglecting coal like you think.
Even advanced countries with abundant coal deposits are shying away from it.

Is it the poisonous fumes from millions generators imported yearly into the country that is safer?
At least let the government try, even if its little we'll manage for the main time. As it is now I'm having low battery, I'll have to wait until 6 or 7pm for light to come before I charge or use anything that requires electricity.

locutas:


"Fair bills" do not, and have never stimulated investment in a market-based power system. Only a cost-reflective tariff can do that.

Well said. To the Nigerian mind, the term "fair" seems to translate to "at almost zero cost". If Nigerians were really willing to pay the true cost of power generation, more than half of the country's installed generation capacity wouldn't be lying fallow, and the GENCOs wouldn't be a few months away from folding up due to unpaid debts. The truth is that Nigerians are currently getting precisely the amount of energy that they've shown themselves willing to pay for - almost nothing.

As for the coal question, instead of people resorting to the usual appeals to tribalism, or the same tired cry that "government should" this, that and the other, it might pay to understand why profit-oriented businessmen aren't rushing to exploit proven coal deposits that are lying idle. What is the cost of exploiting Enugu coal, versus the deposits in Kogi? How much do the two cost to transport to their principal markets? How easy is it to acquire the necessary property rights in the two states, and how vigorous are the two governments in enforcing those rights?

There have to be good reasons why one sits unexploited and not the other, and lazy appeals to ethnicity won't cut it - how then do you explain why the businessman running the Kogi operation is actually Igbo? Maybe, as a businessman with real-world experience, the man knows something that the OP and his sympathizers don't?

smartty68:

Is it the poisonous fumes from millions generators imported yearly into the country that is safer?
At least let the government try, even if its little we'll manage for the main time. As it is now I'm having low battery, I'll have to wait until 6 or 7pm for light to come before I charge or use anything that requires electricity.

Thank you for that thought. Even social media outfits are feeling the pinch. If a significant amount of your readership has low phone/ laptop battery power, your ad revenues fall. It is time social media begins loudly advocating active Federal investment in coal power plants.

This writer knows a consultant that can even get these power plants fully operational in 18months max (kini big deal). It's not rocket science. The moment you have a power plant that hungarily feeds on Enugu coal and other coal deposits, the economy will feel a positive jolt because we would no longer have major issues even if gas is scarce. Diversification to coal is the answer some don't want to see. But it is still the answer.

igbodefender:


Thank you for that thought. Even social media outfits are feeling the pinch. If a significant amount of your readership has low phone/ laptop battery power, your ad revenues fall. It is time social media begins loudly advocating active Federal investment in coal power plants.

This writer knows a consultant that can even get these power plants fully operational in 18months max (kini big deal). It's not rocket science. The moment you have a power plant that hungarily feeds on Enugu coal and other coal deposits, the economy will feel a positive jolt because we would no longer have major issues even if gas is scarce. Diversification to coal is the answer some don't want to see. But it is still the answer.

True.
FG also needs to stop the importation of generators as it is the major problem why they haven't been looking towards the implementation on steady power supply in the country. Almost every households owns a generator in Nigeria and its really bad. Yet we are labelled as giant of Africa

Please make this FP @Lalasticlala

igbodefender:


Thank you for that thought. Even social media outfits are feeling the pinch. If a significant amount of your readership has low phone/ laptop battery power, your ad revenues fall. It is time social media begins loudly advocating active Federal investment in coal power plants.
[b]
This writer knows a consultant that can even get these power plants fully operational in 18months max (kini big deal)[/b]It's not rocket science. The moment you have a power plant that hungarily feeds on Enugu coal and other coal deposits, the economy will feel a positive jolt because we would no longer have major issues even if gas is scarce. Diversification to coal is the answer some don't want to see. But it is still the answer.

A coal-fired power plant fully operational in 18 months? Haba Oga. I'd like to meet that "consultant". It would be interesting to hear his views on the gestation period of power plants in Nigeria.

A few facts you need to understand:

1. Funding: what's the timing from conclusion of all project related activities (PPA, EPC, O&M, transmission connection negotiations, fuel supply agreement, etc) to financing? You do realise that all of the activities I have mentioned are elaborate processes requiring negotiations and some require competitive procurement processes right?

2. What funding sources is your "consultant" proposing? What type of political risk and partial risk instruments will be sourced and negotiated. What timeline is he proposing for these?

3. Are you looking at relocating an existing power plant or constructing a new one entirely. For your information, the timeline from construction to commissioning of a coal-fired power plant is between 38-42 months for typical capacity which will be considered in Nigeria.

Finally as I earlier stated, we do need to actively pursue development of coal to power in Nigeria. However wrong information and emotional bluster does nothing to further this agenda.

locutas:
A coal-fired power plant fully operational in 18 months? Haba Oga.

I can reliably inform you that a basic capacity coal plant -mini coal plant- can be set up in any part of Nigeria within 18 months- baring any unnecessary delays. How I wish you were Fashola or someone whose advice he has access to: I would have just asked for a designated town to be set aside for a pilot project - and you would see businesses flocking there to benefit from efficient,uninterrupted coal electricity power in 18-20-24 months.

Only people living in Nigeria can appreciate the seriousness of the situation.

igbodefender:


I can reliably inform you that a basic capacity coal plant -mini coal plant- can be set up in any part of Nigeria within 18 months- baring any unnecessary delays. How I wish you were Fashola or someone whose advice he has access to: I would have just asked for a designated town to be set aside for a pilot project - and you would see businesses flocking there to benefit from efficient,uninterrupted coal electricity power in 18-20-24 months.

Only people living in Nigeria can appreciate the seriousness of the situation.

I'd really appreciate answers to the questions I raised in my previous post. In addition, where do you propose to get the funding to build this plant, and whom do you propose to be the offtaker for the generated power?

Please think carefully before you respond.

locutas:


I'd really appreciate answers to the questions I raised in my previous post. In addition, where do you propose to get the funding to build this plant, and whom do you propose to be the offtaker for the generated power?

Please think carefully before you respond.

The Federal Government would be the funders of course ( before nko?). As for the offtaker, PHCN of course. BOT should be the modus operandi.

Nigerians, ask the Federal Government to invest in coal power plants to create market for the coal in Enugu, Kogi, etc., because that is how we can get abundant, cheap power supply. Do it on social media if you don' t like the darkness you are facing right now. #GiveUsCoalPower