Anambra needs 1,000MW, gets only 120MW – Soludo

File photo: Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo

The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has called for urgent action and a verifiable roadmap towards closing the gap in the electricity market and charting a way forward towards generating enough power for businesses to thrive in the state.

Soludo made the call on Thursday while declaring open the Anambra State Electricity Market Investment Roundtable held at the International Convention Centre, Awka, the state capital.

Welcoming participants, investors, business leaders and stakeholders in the electricity market, the governor described electricity as a foundational need of society, adding that every aspect of socio-economic life requires power to thrive.

Soludo reiterated his administration’s determination to create an enabling environment for private-sector participation in the electricity market.

He noted that the state needs not less than 1,000MW of electricity for businesses to thrive, as he assured stakeholders that Anambra is ready for business not just in electricity, but in all sectors.

The governor said, “Without electricity, not much can be done in terms of development, industrialisation, productivity, manufacturing, even at the consumption level. Without energy, without electricity, little or less can happen.

“And so for us, this roundtable and gathering of stakeholders that we are having here today is very consequential, but it should not be a gathering of lamentation. I think the lamentations have been made enough.

“The lamentation is what we can summarise in two figures: Anambra will need close to 1,000MW of electricity. Currently, we are probably getting about 102 to 120MW from the national grid, and that tells you the gap between need, what is required, and what is available.

“There is urgent need for actionable, verifiable roadmap towards closing the gap in the electricity market and to charting a way forward towards generating enough power for businesses to thrive.”

He stated that the Anambra State Electricity Regulatory Commission has put together a “very firm and robust regulatory framework for an effective, efficient electricity market in the state. Anambra is a land of infinite opportunities.”

The governor said his administration is working towards developing the state into a “commercial, industrial, technological hub.”

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“Anambra is on the rise,” Soludo said, adding that “electricity is foundational. This is a summit for closing deals. It’s a summit for project origination, and then we have a sense of timelines for commissioning.”

The Chairman on the occasion, Dr Ernest Ndukwe, commended the state government and the Anambra State Electricity Regulatory Commission for convening the roundtable.

Ndukwe added that the forum will go a long way in actualising what the state needs in terms of electricity and pledged to contribute his own quota to promote the aim of the event.

He called on the private sector’s involvement in the electricity value chain and investors’ willingness to invest in electricity generation and gas development to boost energy.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Anambra State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Prof. Frank Okafor, said the event became necessary due to the urgent need to generate enough power to serve the Anambra business community.

Okafor noted that the team of experts gathered for the roundtable will do a thorough job to arrive at a concrete solution.

He commended the governor for driving innovation and reforms in the state’s energy sector.

In his speech, the Chairman, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, Dr Emeka Offor, described the forum as an important platform which reflects collective determination to unlock the enormous economic potential of the state.

Also present was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FirstPower Electricity Distribution Ltd, Okechukwu Okafor, who said the summit offers a unique opportunity to share information about the Anambra network.

The maiden Anambra State Electricity Market Investment Roundtable was organised by the Anambra State Electricity Regulatory Commission, with the highlights being the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that will undertake and lead the development of a comprehensive and integrated energy resource plan for the state.