The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has announced a 30% increase in power generation in Nigeria for the year 2024, with a peak generation of 5,528 megawatts, up from 4,100 megawatts in 2023.
Adelabu made this statement during his ministry’s 2025 budget defense before the Senate Committee on Power at the National Assembly on Monday.
The increase in power generation is attributed to the addition of a new 700-megawatt hydroelectric power dam at Zungeru, alongside improvements by existing generation companies.
Despite this progress, the minister highlighted that the sector fell short of its 6,000-megawatt target due to grid collapses at the end of 2024.
Adelabu explained that eight national grid collapses occurred in 2024, with five being full collapses, three of which were caused by generation problems.
He attributed the grid’s vulnerability to its outdated and dilapidated infrastructure, which the ministry is working to manage until a permanent solution is implemented through the Presidential Power Initiative.
He stated, “I can tell you authoritatively that by the end of 2024, we had a peak generation of 5,528 megawatts of power from 4,100 megawatts that we met on ground.
“And the reason for this is not far-fetched. We added a new hydroelectric power dam, Zungeru, with 700 megawatts.
“There was also a tremendous increase in the generation lines by other existing generation companies.”
He further said that apart from energy access expansion, the sector had plans to stabilise the grid and other transmission infrastructure.
“I’m happy to also inform you that out of the eight collapses of the national grid that we experienced during 2024, five were full collapses, while three were partial collapses.
“Out of the five full collapses, three were actually due to generation problems. So, as against the 12 collapses that were publicised, it was just about eight collapses.
“We have been trying very hard to ensure that we manage the grid that was inherited.
“Unfortunately, it is still very old. It is dilapidated. And we are just managing it until we are able to fix it permanently.
READ ALSO: Top Prosecutor in Trump’s Legal Battles Resigns, Flees US Before Inauguration
“This is the focus of the Presidential Power Initiative, to ensure that the entire grid is revamped so that we won’t be having all this vandalism.
“So these are the summaries of our activities. And we are proud to say that we almost met all our targets for 2024.
“Our hope is that 2025 will be a better year for us, and we will be able to address all the existing issues in the sector,” he added.
In response, Senate Committee Chairman, Sen. Eyinnaya Abaribe, questioned the continued funding of power distribution companies (discos), calling for a review of their contracts and suggesting possible government reclamation if inefficiencies persist.
The committee has requested the minister to return with all discos for further discussions on contract performance and obligations.
Follow the Parallel Facts channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
