National Assembly to enact laws to aid development of grids — Rep

The National Assembly says it is working towards making laws that will aid the development of the main and mini-grids to boost electricity supply in the country.
Hon. Magaji Aliyu, the Chairman House Committee on Power, said this on Tuesday at the ongoing three-day International Conference on Energy, Power Systems Operations and Planning, ICEPSOP 2020, in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the theme of the conference is: “Empowering Micro Grid with Smart Grid Attributes Development in US and Africa.”
It is organised by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission in collaboration with Howard University and with support from the National Science Foundation, US.
Aliyu said the Federal Government had shown resolve to develop electric power in Nigeria, especially in rural areas.
He said: “We in the National Assembly are equally resolved to enact relevant laws that will continue to aid the development of the main and mini-grids.
“This conference must also endeavour to do justice to the issue of development of adequate human capacity to achieve this objective.
“Having funds to develop these assets is one thing, having the right technology to build an enduring one is another thing, so also is having the capacity to maintain them.
“We must produce adequately trained personnel in order to make a head way, and training and re-training should be a continuous process.”
Aliyu, however, said the NERC had important role to play in the development of the mini-grid.
He said the National Assembly had gathered that certain generators for the main grid were given licenses to construct power plants and they failed to do so.
He said: “The reasons for this must be properly articulated so that it does not happen in the case of the mini-grid.
“One major drawback for a failed generator who has been given a license is that it will take several years to withdraw the license and issue same to a new one.
“For rural dwellers who may not easily be connected to the main grid, that will mean living in perpetual darkness.”