The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has disclosed that an estimated 100 million Nigerians are without access to electricity, while the remainder receive low or irregular supply. Director-General of the Bureau, Ms Bolanle Onagoruwa, said this at a workshop held in Lagos on electric power sector reform.She noted that it was in the process of addressing this problem that the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) in 2000 constituted the Electric Power Reform Implementation Committee and mandated it to undertake a comprehensive study of the power industry and make recommendations for the promotion of a policy to usher in total liberalisation, competition and private sector-led development of the sector.The Electric Power Policy 2001 and the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005 identified the private sector as the key driver for the future of Nigerian electric supply industry, while the government is to primarily provide policy and independent regulation, Onagoruwa stressed.She stated that the ambition of the Federal Government was to meet the Vision 20: 2020 target of 40,000MW, which required investment in power generating capacity alone of at least $3.5 billion per annum for the next 10 years.Since the Federal Government cannot accommodate the cost alone, there is need to incentivize the private sector to partner with the Federal Government in this endeavour.BPE has taken into consideration the fact that the current Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses sustained by the various distribution companies are estimated at between 40 and 50 per cent of the power wheeled to them.This level of losses is unsustainable and if not halted will continue to make the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry absolutely unviable for full and unsubsidized private sector participation, according to her.She added that it will be recalled that between December 13 and 20, 2010, the BPE placed advertisements in local and foreign media requesting for expressions of interest for the successor companies.At the deadline for submissions of applications, 331 expressions of interest were harvested, made up of 174 for generating companies and 157 for distribution companies, while pre-qualified bidders will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement and to pay $20,000 fee for each company of interest - evaluation of the expressions of interest is on-going as we speak, the DG assured.She also disclosed that the World Bank had given the BPE a No Objection to re-engage British Power International as BPEs advisers for the engagement of management contractors, and that there is already a shortlist of three bidders, whiled it is likely that others are invited.According to her, there is a World Bank Partial Risk Guarantee (PRG) to provide credit support to the Bulk Trader in the course of its transaction with successor generation companies and IPPs.Regarding labour issues, the DG assured that the Federal Government is committed to ensuring that the labour unions are carried along in the process and that adequate provision is made for the entitlement of the workers.She disclosed that there are about 50,000 employees in PHCN made up of about 37,000 permanent staff and 10,000 contract staff, 400 of which are qualified for pension having worked for over 10 years.
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