As an art historian, I consider Nigeria in this article as an art work and therefore, criticize an aspect of its recent changes in the power sector: The source of its electricity generation source and its inherent implication on Nigerian environment. The writer presented a pointer to the current challenge Nigeria is having in the power sector, especially as it relate to gas turbine stations for the generation of electricity.
As a keen observer of the past policies, how they are hastily formed and either poorly implemented or left halfway or sometimes not even implemented; I can sense another form of frustration coming in the Nigeria’s power sector. This is not to mean that, I am a prophet of doom, or I am not wishing Nigeria well. The issue is, while petroleum is gradually becoming Nigeria’s major source of power, it important to ask questions that in answering them will throw more light on the current circumstances surrounding in Nigeria’s power sector. In this case, the questions that readily comes to mind is: What is gas turbines and why is it important in the generation of electricity in Nigeria? What has happened to our dams especially as it relates to the generation of electricity, and what plans being put on ground to make sure that, the gas turbines will not follow the faith of dams? These are the questions that any public affairs’ analyst would consider in respect of the issue in discuss.
Gas Turbines
The word ‘turbine’ is generally seen as a machine powered by rotating blades. Mechanically, the mechanisms of such machine are designed in a way that will facilitate moving fluid such as steam to acts on the blades of a rotor to produce rotational motion that can be transformed to electrical or mechanical power. Going by the above description, one can notice that there are different types/kinds of turbines: Hydraulic turbine, pump turbine, steam turbines, combustion turbines etc. A gas turbine can therefore, be defined as an internal-combustion engine in which a turbine is turned by hot gases consisting of compressed air and the products of the fuel's combustion to generate electricity. During the past few years much attention was given to the development of the gas turbine by developed countries like United states and China.
What prospects does Gas turbines offer Nigeria’s economy?
Gas turbines have for some time been economically attractive from the standpoint of capital investment, construction time, and operating labor cost. One disadvantage has been the need to use relatively expensive fuels, such as gas, distillate oils, or modified residual oils. This, in combination with a lower thermal efficiency and small size of available units, has limited the applications of the gas turbine to automatically controlled remote locations and peaking service, where the high fuel cost is offset by other advantages. In view of the above, it is important to consider certain issues here.
Nigeria’s economy is 90% oil base and there is growing concern as well as warning by economic and science researchers to diversify not only the economy but its energy source due to adverse weather, health, and economic implications it poses on the people. For example, in 1992 representatives of over 150 countries convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and agreed on the need to reduce the world’s emissions of greenhouse gases. In 1997 world delegations again convened in Kyōto, Japan; during which the representatives of 160 nations, including the United States, signed an agreement known as the Kyōto Protocol, which requires countries (industrialized nations) to limit emissions of greenhouse gases that endanger the earth and its inhabitants. This means that, in order to reduce their fossil fuel emissions for its inherent dangers to the earth, countries (mostly the industrialized nations) would have to shift their energy mix toward energy sources that do not produce as much carbon dioxide, such as natural gas, or to alternative energy sources, such as hydroelectric energy, solar energy, wind energy, or nuclear energy. Even if Nigeria may have the capacity to develop its nuclear energy in exchange for crude oil, the current trend of terrorism in the world offers little opportunity for developing nations like Nigeria to be entrusted with such technology for its seeming threat to world’s peace. However, this does not mean that generating electricity through gas turbines is the only alternative. Besides that, the current realities of refineries in the country is a pointer to what might become of our gas turbines electricity stations. While the refineries have not been maintained for ages yet expecting to produce the required amount of fuel that will serve the nation’s populace, the pipelines are being vandalized intermittently causing shortage in the supply of crude to be refined in the refineries or excessive suck away of refined fuels by pipelines’ vandals, causing fuel crisis in the country.
The gas turbine projects which are currently being undertaken by the federal government can be likened to our refineries because both of them (refineries and gas turbines) depend on petroleum to function for the economy to thrive. Take a for example, when refineries are in shot supply of crude for just few days, oil marketers take advantages of the situation creating untold hardship on the people. When politicians are campaigning for public offices, solving oil problems is place as a top agenda. It is common for Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to bring government to the negotiation table using fuel stations to ensure success during strike. All these are clear indication that the whole Nigeria’s economy is centered on oil.
What is the situation with Nigeria’s hydro-electric power supply?
Hydro-electric power supply is also known as ‘waterpower’. Waterpower derives its energy from the fall of water from a higher to a lower level, and extracted by means of waterwheels or hydraulic turbines. Waterpower is a natural resource, available wherever a sufficient volume of steady water flow exists. The development of waterpower today requires extensive construction, including storage lakes, dams, bypass canals, and the installation of large turbines and electric generating equipment. Because the development of hydroelectric power requires a large capital investment, it is often uneconomical for a region where coal or oil is cheap, even though the cost of fuel for a steam-powered generating plant is higher than the cost of running a hydroelectric plant. However, increasing environmental concerns are focusing attention on renewable energy sources such as water.
The current realities facing the nation
The current power situation in the country has really call for an emergency or short term project in order to rescue the situation. However, such a decision should be critically examined in relation to its latter effect on the country’s economic environment; not just in the immediate returns of the project. Well build dams all over the world have remained an enduring source of electricity (through hydro-electric power) generation. Kaiji-Dam, if well maintained, can serve the nation with little or no problem. As it is today, there are many rivers in Nigeria that never cease to flow. These rivers offer the nation a natural as well as major source of electricity generation/supply only if well built dams are constructed to serve that purpose. The power generated through hydro-electric means is of minimal effect to weather condition of that region as oppose to gas turbine which have greenhouse effect on the weather and other environmental degradation effects to the people of that region. The flaw associated with dams is the in ability for experts to control its flow to avoid flooding which poses danger to communities surrounding the dam. Even so, controlled settlement can be used to address such problems as flooding of dams which normally affects communities near by. It now stands to reason that, if Nigeria must shift it electricity power source, then it should consider the environmental implications of the gas turbines’ stations against the hydro-electricity power being generated from dams.
