South Eastern Nigeria is blessed with huge deposits of coal. Unfortunately the asset seems to have been wasting away for decades due to a number of factors, including infrastructural deficiencies, the Nigerian Civil War, lack of financing, the bankruptcy of the Nigerian Coal Corporation in 2002, and declining global demand for coal due to its deleterious effects on the environment.
But, Governor Peter Mbah of the state says he plans to generate 1,00MW of electricity fired by coal. Mbah disclosed this last week Thursday in Lagos, as guest of the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) “Meet The Governor Series.” The governor seized the opportunity to market the state’s investment potential.
He said: “We cannot treat our coal as a stranded asset, particularly the Enugu coal, which is a premium coal.
“Our target is to see how we can use our coal to generate at least 1,000 megawatts of power. We do have technology today that makes coal utilisation less adverse to the environment. Essentially, that is the direction for us.’’
But to do this, Governor Mbah has to do what has been thought to be impossible before: revive the moribund industry. If he succeeds, he would have killed many birds with one stone. One, he would have increased the economic potential of the state; and that comes with many advantages, including job creation. He would also have succeeded in finding alternative power source for the homes and industries in the state.
There is no doubt that the governor is passionate about giving people in his state electricity at affordable tariffs. This explained the basis of his recent battle with the present players in the electricity generation and distribution chains.
For sure, diversification of the sources of power generation is the direction to go. The present setup of the power sector cannot take the country far. What with all manner of shenanigans and activities bordering on unethical practices and lack of good corporate governance by particularly the electricity distribution companies (DisCos).
The governor deserves the support of all. He deserves encouragement too. This is especially so now that technology can be leveraged upon to reduce the impact of coal utilisation on the environment.
What is more? The state’s coal deposit is of a higher grade, at 0.5 sulphuric content, that is far better than 1.0 as it produces less sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions when burned, a harmful gas that contributes to air pollution and acid rain.
Above all, many countries, including South Africa, China, India, the United States, Japan, and South Korea rely on coal-fired power plants.
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