Stakeholders seek private-sector participation in power generation, distribution

Stakeholders in the Bayelsa State power sector have called for private-sector participation and investment in the state’s electricity value chain, particularly in generation, transmission and distribution.

They added that such would create an enabling environment for industrialisation, attract investors and eventually develop the state’s economy.

They insisted that the Bayelsa State Government must provide the law to back the current 60-megawatt gas turbine project and other critical electricity infrastructure to ensure continuity.

They also urged the government to begin planning for additional generation capacity, warning that the existing 60MW facility would not be sufficient to meet the state’s future electricity needs as industrial and commercial activities expand.

The stakeholders made the call at a special roundtable organised by the South-South Reawakening Group on Tuesday.

The meeting, held in Yenagoa with the theme, ‘Bayelsa Power Infrastructure and Its Value Chain Objectives’, brought together energy experts, regulators, investors, academics, traditional rulers, policymakers and other stakeholders.

The Convener of the SSRG, Joseph Ambakederimo, said electricity was central to the state’s industrial development and called for long-term planning beyond the existing generation capacity.

Ambakederimo said, “Without power, you cannot industrialise. Power is everything. Don’t be carried away by the present celebration. Let us begin planning for the next 30 years.

“Let us not be lost in the euphoria. There’s more work to be done in Bayelsa State. We should start now to begin the plan for the future.”

The SSRG convener also stressed the importance of developing the entire electricity value chain, saying generation alone could not guarantee reliable power supply.

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“The electricity value chain encompasses the sequential stages through which electrical energy is created, transported and commercialised.” He added.

The Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, King Bubaraye Dakolo, described electricity as fundamental to industrialisation and urged residents and businesses to maximise the opportunities created by improved power supply.

Dakolo said, “Power is the bedrock, the foundation for sustainable industrialisation. Reliable electricity can contribute to reducing social problems by creating opportunities for businesses and young people.”

The Managing Director of the Bayelsa Electricity Company Limited, Mr. Olice Kemenanabo, represented at the event by the Director of Operations, Mr. Steve Bubagha, stressed the need to develop generation, transmission and distribution as an integrated system.

Kemenanabo said, “The power system, particularly generation, is only as strong as its weakest link. The value chain must therefore be planned and operated as one integrated system.”

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Bayelsa Electricity Regulatory Agency, Dr Rosalyn Dressman, said the agency was working to coordinate generators, distributors and consumers to sustain electricity supply in the state.

She said, “Our business is to make sure that Bayelsa has electricity. How do we do that? We coordinate generators, distributors, consumers to make sure everybody speaks one common language.”

Dressman identified vandalism of transformers as one of the challenges affecting the electricity value chain and said efforts were being made to extend electricity distribution to more residents.

In its recommendations, the roundtable called for policy consistency, legislative protection for critical energy infrastructure, measures to tackle vandalism and the expansion of the 60MW power system.