Varsities, firms secure permits to generate 54.94MW of electricity – Daily Trust

The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) gave approval for 10 establishments within the first half of 2026 to generate electricity for his or her consumption.

This is as extra Nigerians search dependable electricity off the options.

Analysis of quarterly experiences produced by NERC confirmed that the establishments sought to generate 54.94 megawatts (MW) of electricity, underneath the captive electricity era permits.

The experiences outlined Captive energy era permits as “entities that intend to own and maintain power plants exclusively for their consumption, i.e. no sale of electricity generated from the plant to any third party.”

The experiences said that six of the approvals had been for tertiary establishments that are trying to cut back reliance on electricity from the nationwide grid, which they stated has grow to be expensive, due to their upgrades to Band A tariff.

According to the report, the primary quarter noticed approval for seven permits to generate a complete of 40.82 MW whereas three permits got within the second quarter to generate 14.12MW of electricity.

In Q1, it listed the allow given to embody Modibbo Adama University Yola, Adamawa State, for 5MW era; Federal University Dutsin-Ma Katsina, Katsina State for 1.9MW; Federal University of Lafia Lafia, Nassarawa State, for 1.6MW; Federal University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, for two.9MW; University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State for 10.7MW; University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State for 10.7MW and Nigerian Breweries Plc Kaduna, Kaduna State for 8.02MW of electricity.

For Q2, the permits got to BUA Cement Plc, in Sokoto for 12MW, African Consulting Office Energy Solutions, Jigawa State for 1MW electricity and Power Gas Ebedei Limited, Delta State, for the era of 1.12 MW of electricity.

Why FG is prioritising tertiary establishments for different energy

Daily Trust experiences that because the introduction of tariff enhance for Band A prospects, a number of tertiary establishments had endured blackout due to the excessive invoice they gathered and they’re unable to pay.

This has led to protests and lengthy holidays as college administration dialogues with electricity distribution corporations on a brand new mannequin to settle their payments.

But the federal government by way of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has been setting up photo voltaic mini-grids as alternate options for the faculties.

According to the Managing Director REA, Abba Aliyu, 22 federal universities and three affiliated instructing hospitals are linked to photo voltaic electricity underneath its Energizing Education Program which was launched three years in the past.

Also, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, had said that the initiative would supply universities with dependable and sustainable electricity for instructing, analysis, scholar lodging and healthcare providers.

Alausa stated unreliable electricity had for years undermined educational actions, disrupted scientific analysis and imposed big monetary pressures on college directors, who usually depend on diesel turbines to hold campuses operating.

“We are taking our campuses off the national grid with dedicated solar power. You cannot build a modern university system where students cannot read at night, laboratories lose power in the middle of experiments, and hospitals attached to our universities are forced to run on noisy, expensive diesel generators,” he stated.

The minister stated the shift to devoted renewable power methods would additionally ease the burden of electricity payments on universities, permitting establishments to redirect assets in the direction of educational infrastructure, tools and analysis.

“The burden of electricity tariffs has been one of the heaviest strains on university finances. Instead of universities sinking hundreds of millions into electricity bills every single month, funds that should be expanding faculties or buying equipment, we are solving this structurally with clean, captive energy that operates around the clock,” he stated.