Senate passes electricity bill to enhance power distribution

The Senate on Wednesday passed the Electricity Bill, 2022 following a consideration of detailed report from its Committee on power.

The passage of the bill coincidentally came few hours after the collapse of the national grid for the sixth time within the year.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Gabriel Suswam (PDP, Benue North East), in his presentation, said the bill sought to significantly provide an Ideal legal and institutional framework to leverage the modest gains of the privatisation phase of the electric power sector in Nigeria.

He noted that when assented into law, the bill would improve utilisation of generated power through increased investments in new technologies to boost transmission and distribution of generated power to minimise aggregate value chain loses.

“The piece of legislation will reinvigorate the Institutional framework for the reform of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry initiated and implemented by the Federal Government”, the lawmaker said.

Read also: Senate passes bill on establishment of National Social Security Commission

He added that the provisions of the bill were meant to promote policies and regulatory measures that would ensure the expansion of power transmission networks in Nigeria in order to address any imbalance in the existing transmission infrastructure.

Suswam stressed that the bill would stimulate policy and regulatory measures to scale up efficient power generation, transmission and distribution capabilities of the sector and address technological limitations and obsolete infrastructure responsible for value chain loses.

The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, in his remarks after the passage of the bill, demanded quick response from the lower in order to facilitate the assent by the President.

He said: “Because of its importance and sensitivity, we would like to see a quick concurrence by the House of Representatives, because time is of essence as far as Nigeria is concerned when you talk about electricity and energy supplies in Nigeria.”

“So, we would like to see that this bill is fully processed in the National Assembly and sent to the Executive side of government for the consideration for assent by Mr. President.

“We believe that this piece of legislation can change the fortunes of the electricity industry in Nigeria for the better”, he added.

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