Yemisi Izuora
The Anambra Electricity Regulatory Commission (AERC), an independent body that would oversee the State’s electricity sector, is in the offing and would be made public soon.
The Anambra State Commissioner for Power and Water Resources, Engineer Julius Chukwuemeka, hinted that the Agency would be officially unveiled soon, following recent approvals by the Anambra State Executive Council.
The Commissioner noted the State’s strategic plan to attain a stable, affordable, and more sustainable electricity supply in the foreseeable future.
He underscored the critical role of power supply in fostering economic growth and industrialization, especially in a state like Anambra with immense industrial potential.
Chukwuemeka, also a member of the Anambra Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), made this observation in Awka, stressed that without access to electricity, industries cannot prosper, adding “No industry can thrive without access to electricity.”
The Commissioner, while maintaining that the Governor Charles Soludo’s administration has laid a solid foundation for an energy revolution that would soon see Anambra enjoy round-the-clock power supply sourced through affordable and eco-friendly means, added that the passage of the Nigerian Electricity Act in 2023 marked a pivotal turning point for the sector, as it granted State Governments the constitutional backing to establish and regulate their own electricity markets.
“In Anambra, we’ve already passed our own Electricity Law, and Mr Governor has graciously assented to it. That law now empowers us to regulate power generation, distribution, and consumption within our boundaries,” he said.
He said with the growing adoption of solar energy across the State, many households and even small businesses such as barber shops now power their operations using solar systems. He described the trend as a green energy revolution that is gradually transforming the state’s energy landscape.
Chukwuemeka disclosed that proposals are being received from investors and developers interested in converting Anambra’s large volume of waste into bioenergy.
He said, “Given that Anambra has one of the highest population densities in the country after Lagos, the volume of waste generated daily could become a significant source of power through waste-to-energy conversion technologies.
“Instead of being an environmental nuisance, our waste can be turned into an economic and energy asset. There are proposals on the ground to aggregate and sort our waste for conversion into biodiesel and other forms of clean energy.”
The Commissioner who restated that Anambra is on the rise and fast becoming a model for sub-national power sector reform in Nigeria, commended Governor Soludo’s visionary leadership and expressed confidence that with the new legal frameworks, institutional structures, and policy roadmap in place, the State’s electricity sector would witness exponential transformation.
“With this new law, the regulatory Agency that is coming on board, and with the private sector partnerships we are facilitating, I am confident that in the very near future, Ndi Anambra will enjoy more stable, affordable, and cleaner power supply, and that will change everything, for our dear State and for our own good as Ndị Anambra,” he noted