Financial Energy Review
As part of plans to fast track the 22,000 MW projected demand of electricity by year 2020 in Nigeria experts has called on the federal government to intensify efforts towards the production of coal as a source of energy’
Though not unmindful of the short comings of using coal as source of power supply, it is said that Nigeria for now given the urgency in the power sector the nation needs to expand its energy mix to meet the national demand.
In a recent media round table organized by Heinrich Boll in Lagos Prof. Emmanuel Oladipo, an energy alternative expert said that though the world is threading cautiously over green house effect but noted that the urgency of power supply in the country demands that Nigeria should look for other sources of power supply in addition to gas. It is said that Nigeria can generate 30 percent of all the power it requires through coal by the year 2020.
Presently a lot of coal is being produced in the country and efforts are being made to attract investment in coal-powered plants to take up the raw materials for power generation.
“Our aim is to facilitate the production of coal needed to fire coal-fired power plants that would contribute 30 percent of the nation’s power generation by 2020” a government source had said.
Meanwhile the government has been advised to revitalize the entire steel sector as coal can serve as a major source of power to the steel sector. “for the operation and production of 3 million tonnes of liquid steel per annum by 2015 and 12.2 million tonnes of liquid steel per annum by the year 2020” the official said.
