Nigeria-Danish Chamber seeks solution to industries’ high energy spend

The Nigeria-Danish Chamber has met to seek solutions to poor power supply to local industries, which culminate into high energy spend and operating costs. This was at a breakfast meeting, which attracted captains of industry, business moguls and power sector professionals, in Lagos last Wednesday.

Jakob Bejer, managing director, Heidelberg Nigeria and honorary Danish counsel in Nigeria, said the country can never be competitive in an atmosphere where most businesses were run on generators, stressing that it was impossible to get to its desired destination if leaders do not first address challenges confronting the current privatisation process.

According to him, the solutions to high energy spend by industries will come from government showing more seriousness to problems of the new owners, reduction in import of generators as well as search for alternative sources of energy.

Ben Koya Adako, president, Nigeria-Danish Chamber, said the overall interest of Nigerians was availability of power with which to run factories as the country moved towards liberalisation, adding that regular power supply would create jobs, raise productivity and capacity as well as give a new lease of life to manufacturers, investors and all Nigerians.

R.I. Obasa, permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said four key issues central in the agenda of the state government were power, agriculture, transport and housing, emphasising that the state had begun to explore renewable energy to power industries and homes.

She recommended provision of incentives for gas production to private sector, step-up of pipelines security, adoption of virtual pipelines, connection of gas network infrastructure to major cities as well as provision of incentives for gas production to private sector.

“More stakeholders engagement is needed to open up the windows of opportunities for states’ active participation in collaboration with private sector as it will greatly enhance quick delivery of energy and power,’’ she stated.

Sanusi Garba, who represented Godknows Igali, permanent secretary, ministry of power, said the Federal Government was often meeting to close the gaps, adding that a lot was being done to explore alternative power sources, citing new hydro power plants at Zungeru and Mambila as examples.