MINISTRY OF POWER PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT DAILY NEWS MONITORING WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16th, 2010 WEDNESDAY – OCTOBER 22, 2014 PUNCH Power firms get two-week ultimatum to meter customers The paper reported that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Tuesday said power distribution companies had been given a two-week ultimatum to provide meters for customers who had paid for them under the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation Scheme. According to the Commission, the distribution companies that fail to meter the eligible consumers within the timeframe will face severe sanctions. See details on page 32 of the paper. Same story in Daily Trust – page 22. FG begins training of 7,400 electricity technicians A total of 7,400 craftsmen, linesmen and electricity artisans will be trained under the National Power Sector Apprentice Scheme beginning from November this year, the Federal Government has said. The Director General, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria, Mr. Reuben Okeke, said the scheme would be inaugurated on November 18 by President Goodluck Jonathan and would ensure that the power sector had enough skilled manpower, the paper stated. See details on page 32 of the paper. Same story in Daily Trust – page 26 DAILY TRUST US, investors plan $20bn power plant in Katsina United States government officials and a consortium of companies have arrived in Katsina State for feasibility studies on a 1000MW gas plant to be financed from the $20 billion Power-for-Africa grant from the US government. The paper reported that six other African countries – Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana and Liberia are to benefit from the grant aimed at improving power supply on the continent. See details on page 6 of the paper. GUARDIAN 450MW Azura-Edo IPP to boost national power generation Nigeria’s power sector generating capacity will receive a boost when construction of the 450MW Azura-Edo Independent Power Project, IPP, in Benin, the Edo State capital, is completed. The paper stated that the 450MW project is the first phase of a 1,500MW power facility with a short transmission line connecting the power plant to a local Substation and a short underground gas pipeline connecting the power plant to the country’s main gas-supply. See details on page 26 of the paper. Investors seek $7.5bn offshore for power sector The paper reported that Investors in Nigeria’s power sector are poised to secure $7.5 billion from offshore banks to finance the sector in the next five years after initial loans were gotten from Nigerian banks. The $7.5 billion loan would be used to improve the national power grid by expanding generation, transmission and distribution capacities. See details on page 27 of the paper. Nebo to address power-privatization challenges at WNEPC 2014 At a time when the Nigeria’s power sector is set to enter the much awaited Transitional Electricity Market (TEM), the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, is set to join other industry stakeholders to address challenges facing the industry at the 4th WorldStage National Electricity Power Conference (WNEPC) on Thursday, October 23 in Lagos. The Minister who will soon be advised by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to make the statutory declaration that the Nigeria’s electricity market had entered TEM, will present a paper, ‘Federal Government Commitment to Address Post-Privatisation Challenges’ at the annual conference with the theme: Addressing the Challenges of Post-Privatisation. See details on page 32 of the paper LEADERSHIP NAPTIN certificates get NSE recognition The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has formally accorded status recognition to certificates issued in Nigeria’s electricity sector by the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN). According to the paper, this was disclosed yesterday by the Director-General of NAPTIN, Reuben Okeke, in Abuja when both organizations signed a pact on the National Graduate Skills Development Programme (NGSDP) of NAPTIN. See details on page 47 of the paper. THISDAY Ghana power supply improves after blackouts cut water flow Ghana’s Volta River Authority (VRA), the nation’s largest power producer, is restoring electricity after blackouts crippled the capital’s two water processing plants and led to a shortage of the liquid. According to the paper, the deficit narrowed to 60MW on Monday from 440MW on October 17, the VRA’s spokesman, Samuel Fletcher said by phone. See details on page 31 of the paper. Service Delivery: NERC wants consumers to bring Discos to book The paper reported that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) yesterday said it wanted Nigerian electricity consumers to help it clampdown on recalcitrant distribution companies in the electricity market. NERC said at the Abuja lap of its nationwide consultation on the Aggregate Technical Commercial and Collection (ATC & C) loss studies conducted by the distribution consumers to provide it with information and evidence of poor electricity services delivered by the distribution companies to be able to bring them to book. See details on page 52 of the paper. Timothy Oyedeji Deputy Director (Press)