Enugu has begun moves to generate 1000 megawatts of electricity from coal – Aneke

Joe Aneke is the Senior Special Assistant (SPA)to Governor Peter Mbah on power. In this interview with REGIS ANUKWUOJI, he explains the government’s aim of building Coal plant that will be generating about 1000 Megawatts, among other issues. Excerpts:

The state government said it would generate 1000 megawatts using coal as a source of energy; how actually will this come to be?

Yes, the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, wants to grow the state economy from the N4.4 billion to N30 billion by the time we’ll be going through his second term, and there’s no way you can talk of economic growth in isolation of power, and that’s why he takes it seriously, and that’s why we are discussing with more than six consortia groups and other investors presently. His Excellency is fully determined to change the trajectory positively for electricity generation in this state. Recall that Enugu State is the first state to establish a sub- national bond market, as was granted by Nigeria Electricity Commission (NEC), and having taken that mantle of being the first, we are determined, I mean the government of Enugu State, led by His Excellency, Peter Mbah, to lead in improving both electricity generation, distribution and improve generally, the sustenance of this power to our people in order to improve the economy through industrialisation and other commercial activities, and generally living standards. When he was with the British Embassy in the British in Lagos, when they went for a conference, he made a promise and pronouncement that Enugu would be producing 1000 megawatts of electricity and we’ve already started now negotiating with potential investors towards achieving that. For instance, there is this consultant, led by Jevkonc, that has come to discuss with us; is still in progress. We are trying to finalise our arrangement and agreement as per how they’re going to come in. You know, Enugu has Coal in abundance, and the previous surveys did not even reveal the quantum of energy. The quantum of coal we have in Enugu is so huge. We have more than triple from the research studies; therefore, and the best coal in the whole country with less carbon contents is found in Enugu State. Ours is more refined, sort of naturally more endowed with less impurities. So, whoever comes in here to do any project in coal mining and using it as an energy as a source of fuel to produce electricity, we do it with that less impurities and pollution. Moreover, you may recall that in usage of a coal to generate electricity, that you are required to go through what is known as environmental impact assessment, and is done within two popular seasons in Nigeria, rainy and dry seasons. And that is what whoever is going to invest in coal in Enugu must do using it for electricity generation. You must do that environmental impact assessment and where it is now certified. After you must have done that, you come up with the latest technology that ensures less emission to the environment, and ensures less emission of carbon and sulphur. You know, some people might be talking about coal. Is it still popular? Yes, it is. It is being used in America today. Go to Ohio. They have coal fired power plants. Go to China, they have it. Go to Turkey, they have it; you go to so many places, so many countries; so, whoever is looking at Coal should be looking at it from this other angle of being used, subject to the latest technology that ensures less, like I said, less emission of impurities, that is, they wouldn’t be polluting the environment.

When will the state or what is the timeline for the establishment of the plant, since you have already entered into discussing with investors?

You know, it is capital intensive. It’s not like off-the-shelf pick. The governor is someone who insists on getting things done and getting them done correctly. The safety of his people and the health of his people are important and paramount to him. He wouldn’t want anything that will be done here that is not going to be sustainable. Therefore, whoever is coming in to handle any of those projects will be somebody with or some organizations with the capacity to handle it and get it right, get it done rightly as it is supposed to be in any clime, be it in the Western world, or otherwise; it must meet that international standards. Like I told you, you go through some series of feasibility studies. One, determine the quality of the coal mixture. Two, determine the mining processes that will be adopted that is best-fitted for our people and the environment. Thirdly, the financing. It must be a sustainable financial system that will not give room for all we have been having in the past years, before the government came in, like abandoned project; no, if it comes off stream, it must become completed. And if that is going to be done, like I said, there are processes. These processes include those feasibility studies that entail, you must do environmental impact assessment, then the design of your engineering works, the turbine, what are you using? What are the capacities? What are their functionalities? How environmentally-friendly are they; all these things, when they put into perspective you now can tell that it’s not going to be something that you put on the ground today and next week, it will be there. You do the studies like I said, you’re going to do two seasonal studies of both rainy and dry seasons. That’s what is required internationally and nationally, too. But once it takes off, it will be a smooth-running process whereby you now do, of course, you know, you go to the site, do site clearing. Take samples, test them, come up with your report and do like I said that the Environmental Studies then come up with the designs of your machines, the turbines that we use. You build your factory, your plants, then you put up the health aspect of the hospitals that accompany for your staff and the environment, and then the people within the community where you’re going to invest all the sense. That’s the way the governor thinks. It must be beneficial to the people, both on the economic side and the social aspect. Is going to be an integrated production, where even the coal, the dust from the coal, will be used to produce what we call carbon black, that is used in manufacturing of plastics. And tyre you know, bricks, they will be equally producing Bricket. And then even ammonia, a lot. It has a lot of economic advantages. It will help to grow the economy of the state and invariably, of the country too. When applied across borders, by extension, growing Nigeria’s economy, and again, it’s going to, you know, attract a lot of industries around there, because the power to be generated would definitely be cheaper than what they’re getting down from the national grid.

You know that His Excellency, the governor has only six years to leave office from now; with all these processes you have mentioned so many processes involved, do you think he can complete this and generate 1000 Megawatts within the next six years?

Yes. I am so definite about it. It could be completed before six years. The technology and science behind it right now give room for that. Now, a lot of studies have been done in South Africa about our goal. We have the reports, and anybody who is coming in, we have it already in existence. You might not require to go and do yours, but if, for the sake of verification, you want to, you can as well do that, and during the studies, will not do if you take it to the lab in South Africa or any part of the world where you want to go to, it might not take you more than two three weeks to do that. You understand what I’m saying? So, you’re talking of the gestation period. It might not be more than three years to be done, but at least, it requires some measure of studies, some measure of feasibility studies, that will enable you to get it right. You don’t just come and thrust on us something that, at the end of the day, will not be sustainable. We mean all around sustainability, in terms of giving us what we want, not only producing energy, increase jobs for our people. Thirdly, you must protect them in terms of providing the social amenities that are required within that community, coal uses water in its cooling system. Let’s not go into the engineering, but maybe, the economic aspect which you are interested in, the company or the investor, will take into consideration the community which is operating, and will make sure that in as much as yes, you’re extracting what Is there, they still benefit from the existence within them, is a symbiotic relationship. I don’t know whether you appreciate what I am saying, I am very much fine, like the programme, the one we are discussing now, he has a component of hospital, about 100 or 200 bed hospital, not because of any other thing, but it will take care of both the staff and the community within the area, and the light that will be generating will equally feed into that hospital, provide for that community before even taking it out. That’s the way the governor looks at it. He wants to lift the people from where they were to where he wants them to be, and where people will now say, Thank God for giving us Dr. Peter Mbah

Is the state considering partnering the Chinese in this project?

The state is open to do business with whoever is genuine investor. They come into the government. You want to come as a government group; we will listen to you. You want to come as a private individual, and you want partnership with the state PPA, we still listen to you. It depends on the model that fits your desire. We will now get it anchored into ours in order to make it feasible, and then adapt it to suit both the state desire and your own interests, because any business that is coming in comes with intention of making profit, but it’s not to dry our people’s pocket. No, it must be something that is affordable. That’s actually part of why the government is there.

In this project do you have the youths in mind; if yes, how do you accommodate them into the project?

Okay. Now, people are going to be working in this factory, or the plant, and there’s no plant that will be set up to produce, even if it’s only 200 megawatts, that will not employ at least directly over 200 youths, and then by extension, we generate what we call economic chain reaction. It will feed over 1000 indirect business associates to this very project. You have youths who are transporters, who will be moving items, goods, in and out of the place. They are not going to get people from China to come and be the drivers here. They are not going to get people from England and get people to be only the engineers that will be working in the place. They’re still going to be majority will be Nigerians, even if they are going to be foreigners or foreign engineers working in the place, our people will be understudying them. It’s only a matter of setting up the plant and then getting them to appreciate what is being done in the factory and then they take it up from there. I’m sure you understand what I’m saying. So, the youths are going to be properly taken care of, because they are going to work in the place. You can’t get somebody who is aged and ask him to come and be lifting things. And the training aspect of it is equally there, packaged in the whole system. People will be trained to man those things. So, it’s all encompassing. They are going to be playing a better role, and they’ve been provided for. A lot of people are going to earn their living from the exercise; people are also even going to be engaged to do the bush clearing. They see their people, because you’re going to mine, by the time you’re going to do a lot the engineering designs; it takes takes care of a lot of structures and infrastructure that we provided in the place. And people will be working on it. Who are going to be those people and those who are willing to come up from outside?

How many plants do you intend to build and activate for this 1000 Megawatts?

You know, if you appreciate what goes on in the power sector, you cannot put up a plant that will start from day one, start generating 1000 megawatts. Is a graduated movement. You could roll out 150 megawatts. Then by next year, you’ll put 300 megawatts. Again. You shift from there, you move from there, positively to 600 megawatts. Yes, we intend to have not just work plans. Once we have a willing investor, we can now take it off. Okay, there’s already one that has done its feasibility study and is progressing. The company is called Niecs and Stanley Ltd. the government has entered into an agreement with them, signed an MoU; they’re going to generate 150 megawatts. They’re progressing; that one has taken off, and they’re working at the site. Then Jevkon wants to do 1000 but we roll out initially about 300 megawatts, and another company is coming, those who are going to do embedded generation. What we call embedded generation. Some will do 50 megawatts. What does embedded generation mean? Embedded generation, it means, for instance, you know, like people, the Chinese company at the Enugu-Ontisha Expressway producing doors, and rest of them, they generate their own energy- is embedded within their company. They’re using coal to do generation. Yes, so, and when you have multiple of those ones, such plants, is still part of the general supplies that’s coming into the state which hitherto wasn’t there until His Excellency, Dr. Peter Mbah came into the office, he is so progressive in nature and takes governance to a very big level that has never been witnessed here, that is now opening up all the sectors. In fact, I will tell you that he is like a man that saw tomorrow, and that’s why we say that mantra, “tomorrow is here.”