Business

Weert Borner: Partnership with Germany Has Boosted Nigeria’s Power Grid By 670MW in H1 2024, 15% Increase

Since 2008, Germany and Nigeria have embarked on a bi-lateral energy partnership to bolster Nigeria’s energy sector, and help the country transition to renewable energy. In an interview with ARISE News on Tuesday, Weert Borner, the German Consul General in Lagos, highlighted that this partnership has yielded fruit, leading to an addition of 670 megawatts to Nigeria’s grid capacity to the final consumers, which is about 15% of the whole of electricity production in the country in 2024.

Borner made this revelation during an interview with ARISE News on Tuesday while discussing how Germany with its expertise can get Nigeria where it needs to be in terms of a healthy energy portfolio.

He said, “We started a bi-lateral energy partnership with Nigeria in 2008, while we (Germany) in parallel started our own energy transition to renewables to phase out coal and other fossil sources of energy production and move to renewables. 

“In the recent phases of this bi-lateral energy partnership, we have been concentrating on the grid. There is little history behind that. In 2018, Nigerian president Buhari and German Federal Chancellor Merkel signed an agreement to improve the grid in Nigeria. 

“As we all know, there is some electricity production capacity in Nigeria, but only a small part of it is really reaching the final consumers. So this is something where we wanted to contribute with our technology. It’s a PPP, so the government is involved but it’s also private banks financing it and Siemens Energy, our largest energy company, is behind it in the technical implementation.

“The good news now is, with the new government, under President Tinubu, we made some progress, which means that in the first half of 2024, those measures under this so-called PPI (Presidential Partner Initiative), managed to add 670 megawatts to the grid capacity to the final consumers which is about 15% of the whole of electricity production in Nigeria that is reaching the final consumers. So that’s already progress.”

While acknowledging that the transition to renewable energy is not going to be easy and that there is no expectation for Nigeria to “just stop with all their fossil energy sources, be it oil or gas,” he however encouraged that Nigeria embrace the transition, as it a cheaper energy production option and will help in developing the country while producing more jobs. He termed the transition to renewable energy a “global trend” that Nigeria should not miss.

The Consul General said, “Renewables are not just a big environmental case, they are the best business case we can offer for electricity production. 

“Germany is already with the statistics of 2023, producing of its huge demand of electricity needs, 58% from renewables, mainly wind, solar, biomass. 

“That’s a lot and all our heavy industries – we still have in Germany, steel and cement and chemical productions of global size…more is running on renewables and renewables have been getting cheaper during the last 30 years from its very first development. 

“Today, whether you look at solar modules or solar installations, even wind offshore, which is a bit more complex in installing and producing, it’s getting cheaper by the day.

“Therefore, one picture is showing this, that it’s a global trend and we think our message to Nigeria is that Nigeria doesn’t miss this train – building up renewables – because renewables are meanwhile the cheapest solution and they are also a good business case in developing the country. And that’s a very important experience from the German energy transition of the last 20 years.

“When we started, we had kind of a classical electricity production portfolio. We had about 300 big utilities, mainly coal and gas power plants, some nuclear power plants, producing all the energy needed for German industries, households, etcetera. Today, it’s not 300 big utilities, it’s two million decentralised electricity producers because even a farmer who takes a piece of his or her land to build up wind turbines is feeding the grid with renewable energy production and makes a totally different picture of innovation of jobs. Renewables are creating many more jobs than coal, nuclear or other old sources of energy ever did.”

Melissa Enoch

Follow us on:

Melissa Enoch

View Comments

  • WE SELL GOODS LIKE :
    VEHICLES
    BAGS OF RICE
    BALES OF CLOTHES
    VEGITABLES OIL ETC. ALSO THE REPLACEMENT FROM IS OUT NOW,
    THOSE ARE THE VEHICLES LISTED BELOW WITH THEIR PRICE
    !!! GREETINGS GREETINGS !!!!!

    :
    VEHICLES
    BAGS OF RICE
    BALES OF CLOTHES
    VEGITABLES OIL ETC. ALSO THE REPLACEMENT FROM IS OUT NOW,
    THOSE ARE THE VEHICLES LISTED BELOW WITH THEIR PRICEGolf2 #300,000
    Golf 3 #3500,000
    Golf4 #400, 000
    Golf 5 #420,000
    Dyna truck 900k
    Tipper head 6m
    Toyota Camry big daddy=#750,000
    Toyota Camry tiny light=#500,000
    Toyota Venza=#1.4million
    Toyota Matrix=#750,000
    Toyota Avalon=#930,000
    Toyota 4Runner=# 950,000
    Toyota Avensis=#900,000
    Toyota Corolla=#850,000
    Toyota Rav4=#1.1million
    IS250 1m
    Es330 1.6m
    Toyota Highlander=#1.3million
    Toyota Tacoma=#1.5million
    Toyota Prado=#1.2million
    Toyota Yaris=#750,000
    Toyota sienna=#850,000
    Toyota Hilux=#2.5million
    Toyota Tundra=#2.8million
    Spider 1m800k
    Muscle 1m900k
    Mercedes-Benz GLK ₦3.Million
    Benz ML550=2.6million
    Toyota Sequoia #900,000
    Toyota Haice Bus=#1,000,000
    Toyota Camry muscle=#850,000 Toyota picnic=#800,000
    Lexus RX300=#1.2million
    Lexus RX330=#1.4million
    Lexus RX350#=2.1million
    Lexus GX460=#2.4million
    Honda Accord EOD=#450,000
    Honda Baby boy=#500,000
    Honda Civic=#700,000
    Honda Pilot=#750,000
    Honda CR-V=#800,000
    Honda Crosstour=#1m950,000
    BMW X5=#1.2million
    BMW X6=#1.6million
    Infinity FX35 = #1.7million
    Infinity QX45=#1.2million
    Infinity QX4=#950,000
    Nissan Murano=#900,000
    Nissan Pathinder=#950,000
    Nissan Altima=#800,000
    Nissan Maxima=#630,000
    Acura MDX=#1.2million
    Benz ML350=2 million
    Acura ZDX=#1.3million
    Acura TL=#1 million
    Mercedes-Benz C-Class ₦1.3Million
    Mercedes-Benz E-Class ₦1.8Million
    Range rover sport HSE=#3.5million Land rover discovery=#2.3millon
    Land rover freelander=#8.2million
    Gwagon=#7MILLION. E.T.C
    O8O__6739__9O9O〽.Bags of cement #3,500
    Delivery cost is #1,000

Recent Posts

Kenya Cancels Adani Contracts as US Prosecutors Charge Tycoon with Fraud

Kenya has cancelled airport and energy deals with Adani following US bribery and fraud charges…

3 mins ago

Brazil’s Former President Bolsonaro, 36 Others Indicted Over Alleged Coup Attempt In Brazil

Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro and 36 others have been indicted for allegedly attempting a coup…

5 mins ago

Republican David McCormick Triumphs As Democrat Sen. Bob Casey Concedes After Recount

Republican David McCormick won Pennsylvania Senate seat as Democratic Sen. Bob Casey concedes after recount…

7 mins ago

Trudeau Announces Temporary Tax Relief and Cheques Amid Rising Living Costs

Trudeau's government has announced plans for temporary tax relief, cheques for Canadians amid rising costs…

10 mins ago

Trump Nominates Pam Bondi as Attorney General After Gaetz Withdraws

Pam Bondi, former Florida attorney general and Trump ally, has been nominated as US attorney…

3 hours ago

Canadian Town Council Faces Deadlock As Newly Elected Mayor, Officials Refuse To Pledge Allegiance to King Charles III

Canada’s Dawson City’s newly elected council has stalled governance, rejecting oath to King Charles in…

3 hours ago