Following the passage of the Electricity Market Bill into law by the Osun State House of Assembly, Governor Ademola Adeleke says the law has provided a major tool to deepen and boost the economy of Osun State.
He announced the law which will soon be signed by him will also open windows of opportunities for investors in the power sector with a lot of off-grid generation opportunities.
According to Governor Adeleke, sources of power generation will be diversified, opened up and regulated to address what he called chronic power supply crisis rocking the state, saying a lot of independent power producers have shown interest in the state electricity market.
“The new law will ensure the right energy mix. Renewable energy will complement the traditional energy sources. Osun state is opened to new energy sector investors”, the Governor said.
Speaking over the weekend, on behalf of the governor on a radio program tagged: ‘Stewardship‘, a feedback platform for public interaction with the state government, the Commissioner of Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. Kolapo Alimi said, aside from tapping into various power generation sources, “the era of exploitation and oppression of Osun people by some officials of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company is over“.
“The new law provides for the establishment of the State Electricity Regulatory Agency to regulate and monitor the electricity market as well as attend to service delivery issues by the Distribution Company (DISCO)”.
Also speaking during the radio program, the Director Energy, in the Osun State Ministry of Energy, Mr Johnson Abatan explained that the Energy Commission which will be established, in accordance with the provision of the new Energy Law, will be empowered to address complaints of electricity users and act on the activities of the distribution company, warning that the DISCO should brace up for the eventual take-off of the commission.
“The regulatory commission will be addressing critical issues relating to customer – service providers complaints. It will grant licenses to power generators among others.
The commission will not allow current maltreatment of electricity users with estimated billing, without smart meters to continue”, Abatan said.
Earlier, when reacting to the passage of the Bill, the governor in a press release signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed promised to invite stakeholders to the signing into law soon.
He expressed hope that the business community in Osun state would in no distant time heave a sigh of relief, stressing that the much needed policy framework for the state power sector has arrived.
The governor commended the House of Assembly, the state Ministry of Energy and all those who worked on the draft bill and participated in the consultation processes leading to the passage by the state assembly.
Victoria Ibanga