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Reef Creations, 39, Olubuse Street, Oduduwa Estate, Ede Rd, Ile-Ife (2025)

31/10/2024

The economic progress of any country depends on a lot of things: The availability of resources, the creativity and ingenuity of the people, visionary leadership, technical know-how and energy to power the technical know-how.

In the case of Nigeria, our economy is fuel-based. Transportation, Manufacturing, Production, Internet, Distribution all rely on fueled engines. Whatever happens to the fuel happens to the whole economy. At the least, transportation (which is key to supply and distribution) has to be readily available, dependable and cheap.

Recently, the government started an initiative that promotes CNG. I did a research-work on CNG and what is going on with it in Nigeria. I must say that CNG is a very good way to relieve the pressure on PMS (premium motor spirit, otherwise known as petrol) and diesel to a little extent. It is readily available, cheap and is energy efficient. Still, there are pressing pros and cons of CNG that you should know before you convert your engine to run on CNG

Vehicles and generators are getting converted from petrol-powered to CNG-powered. That is very innovative, I must say. It's just that these engines were not made for CNG. Engineering is very specific. The materials selected for the engines, the size, the shape, the load and many other things were made to survive on liquid fuel and not on gas. If your engines are converted to run on CNG, they are automatically not going to last as long as they should. That is the part no one wants to talk about.

Another thing is that gases are very delicate to deal with. Combustion happens in engines at high pressures, and gases behave strangely under high pressures. Explosions are regular occurrences with gases. SON has warned the populace against the use of uncertified gas cylinders. But very few people know how to spot out safe cylinders from unsafe ones. (Maybe I can teach you guys, if you beg me 🙄)

Moving forward, we can start importing or even building engines that are made to run on CNG and collectively watch against the use of uncertified cylinders. Or what do you think?

28/10/2024

In 1986, Russia experienced a very tragic meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear plant. That single incidence claimed 28 lives, got about 100,000 people sick and rendered 28,000 square kilometres of land useless and unsafe till date.

In 2011, Japan also experienced a nuclear tragedy that rendered 160,000 people homeless, and a large landmass has been rendered unusable.

70% of the energy used in France comes from nuclear reactors. 40% of Belgium's come from nuclear sources. China has about 25 different reactors and is still building more. They are doing fine, very fine.

In 2024, AI industries are talking about attaching portable nuclear reactors to their data centres. Instead of connecting to the grid for power, they want to create 'battery-included' centres where their servers more or less power themselves sustainably. On the optimistic side, that is a very good way to go. The energy consumed by these power-hungry centres can be channeled to other productive endpoints and the world is preserved on the overall. On the pessimistic side, what if?

The discussion becomes more interesting when Nigeria is brought into focus. Can Nigeria have nuclear plants? We definitely need the energy it provides and the cleanliness it gives. We have land to use for it. There is enough brain to get this thing up and running. Come to think of it, we can even afford it.

The government of Nigeria, through the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission initiated talks with China and Russia to start developing nuclear power centres for peaceful purposes. A bold step indeed. And yes, we have a seat on the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors. That is how invested the government of Nigeria is in this thing. The chances that this can be the solution to the age-long power problem is very high, if this really goes through.

BUT… What of the what ifs?

Maybe if I add that carelessness and poor maintenance culture accounts for a large portion of the losses and the power failures we have in Nigeria, the what ifs will begin to make more sense. If I also add that bureaucracy also slows down decision-making processes, we will begin to see why it seems Nigeria is not ready to join the Nuclear family. Some people believe that the way to make the government 'feel' the pains of the people is to take out their anger on government properties. What if they get angry and a nuclear plant is what they want to use to teach the government a lesson?

Let's take responsibility. These problems are people problems. A little more improvement in our maintenance culture will position our country better for more forward things. Our sanity levels and morals level are indirectly part of why the country is not 'ready' for some things that we definitely need.

Change begins with me. I hope it will spread from you too.

27/10/2024

In the past few days, we have heard about 'the grid' more than before. Although the mention of it has not been on a very good note, curiosity has been stirred in a lot of Nigerians to really understand what this 'grid' is.

In a country's energy/power sector, there is a part that generates the power; there is a part that transmits it from the generators to the distributors and there is a part that distributes it to the consumers. You remember the days of NEPA? That later became PHCN? And the different names we now call them?

Well, the company has been unbundled into 3 different parts. You remember that year that somebody somebody sold NEPA, right? Don't ask me who sold it or bought it. 😒

Today, the first part is the Generating Companies (the GenCos) e.g Kainji Power PLC and Afam Power PLC. Then there is the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and lastly, the Distribution Companies (the DisCos). Those guys that you buy your energy from, they are the DisCos. All they do is give light to those that need it or let me say those that can afford it. 😢 (Band A people, I am talking to you!)

You know, the GenCos are not fully owned by the government. Did they teach you too that the electricity of Nigeria comes from Kainji Dam? Well, that is just one of the 6 generating plants in Nigeria. The biggest of them is the Egbin Power station (80% of Egbin is owned by Sahara Power Group). These GenCos need to make profit. Nothing like subsidy or freewill offering. 😎The combined ability of these companies is about 8000MW but they never passed 5074MW altogether. One or two things about inefficiencies and losses.

The TCN (called 'Power Line' in some places) is the only part of the business that the government still owns 100%. They manage all these big big power lines. They are in charge of 'stepping up' and 'stepping down' too. They link the GenCos and DisCos together. The combination of the GenCos and the TCN is what we call the 'National Grid'. Faults and breakdowns at their levels affect a significant part of the country at once. If power is not generated or not transmitted, there will be nothing to distribute. Maybe I have not added that the 5074MW that GenCos produce is less than 10% of what Nigeria actually needs. Any disruptions will therefore be quickly felt.

I hope there will be no 'next time', but in case there is a next time, you now understand what we mean when we say 'National Grid'.

You are asking me about the DisCos? Just try not to pay your bills this month and they will introduce themselves to you. (Laughing in IBEDC 🤣)

But really, don't you think we need solution to energy problems around here?

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