On the transmission side, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) said it would submit a revised offer for the management of Nigeria’s electricity grid to be constructed at a cost of $3.5 billion.
THISDAY gathered that this special offer by the Brazilian firm, PROINFRA, was not part of the interest expressed to the BPE by the other 331 companies.
Under the BPE exercise, Essar, an Indian conglomerate; Tata Group, also of India; and ContourGlobal of the United States were among the 331 companies jostling to have the majority stakes in the power generating companies.
BPE had revealed that 174 applications were received from investors interested in acquiring the four thermal stations and the two hydro stations, while 157 prospective applicants expressed their interests in acquiring the 11 distribution companies.
Essar was said to have expressed interest to invest over $2 billion for a generating capacity of at least 2,000 megawatts, an equivalent of two-thirds of the country’s current average electricity output.
But outside the BPE arrangement, the Brazilian investor has proposed a $100 billion special offer to acquire the majority stakes in the entire plants.
Minister of State for Power, Mr. Nuhu Wya, told THISDAY Sunday that the special offer was a demonstration of the success of the ongoing power reform and the confidence of foreign investors in the reform agenda.
Wya stated that at the various investors’ fora held in London and other cities in the world to showcase the numerous opportunities in Nigeria’s power sector, the foreign investors demonstrated an unprecedented level of enthusiasm in the reform.
“A company in Brazil offerred $100 billion to take over 23 power stations across the country and this is outside BPE bid,” he said.
Wya, who urged electricity workers and their various unions to support the privatisation process, also reminded them that they would be the greatest beneficiary of a reformed power sector.
He assured the workers that the new investors would look out for the best among them to run the plants, instead of bringing workers from outside the sector.
“Nobody, no wise business man, will do that; no wise business man will like to let off anybody. Nobody will come and say that he wants to sack anybody. I, for one, will not do that and I believe that I am a successful business man. I will not do that because without human resources, whatever machines you put in place will be in vain,” he said.
The minister also stated that discussions were still ongoing over the successor companies of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), adding that no final decisions had been taken to hand over the plants to the core investors.
“We want to be as transparent as possible. We don’t have any hidden agenda. This is one thing with this administration. What we want is to ensure that we improve power supply in this country for the benefit of all Nigerians,” he added.
BPE had between December 13 and 20, 2010, published advertorials in local and foreign media inviting prospective core investors to express interest in the 11 distribution companies unbundled from PHCN.
It also invited prospective core investors to express interest in the four thermal power stations and as concessionaires for the two hydro power stations. The initial deadline for receipt of the EoIs, which was Friday, February 18, this year, was extended to Friday, March 4, 2011, following representations by prospective investors, who attended the five-city Electric Power Investors’ Forum that attracted world class investors willing to participate in the privatisation exercise.
Meanwhile, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) has said it will submit a revised offer for the management of Nigeria’s electricity grid.
The Indian state-run power giant was among the three companies shortlisted by the BPE during a 2007 bidding round for the management of the Transimis-sion Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The other two were Canada's Manitoba Hydro and Electricity Supply Board of Ireland.
Under the power roadmap, electricity generation and distribution would be privatised, while the Federal Government will continue to own the national grid but its management will be privatised.
PowerGrid said in a report on its website yesterday that the Nigerian government had called for revised offers for the management of the national grid, after enhancing the scope of the project.
A senior executive of the company was quoted in the report as saying the deal would be finalised in the next two to three months.
“We expect to bag the deal in next two to three months,” said the unnamed company executive.
Top executives of the company last month met with Wya to restate the company’s interest in the management of the TCN.
Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mahesh Sachdev, who led the delegation of representatives from PGCIL and India's National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to Wya’s office in Abuja, said the delegation had come to restate its commitment to work for the improvement of Nigeria’s transmission system for faster economic transformation.
He said: "India and Nigeria could be economic talking points of the globe in the next decade if they work together and appropriately deploy their surplus natural and human gifts.”
PGCIL had said on its website recently that it was the lowest bidder amongst the three parties that submitted offers for management of Nigeria's transmission company.
"We had been short-listed two to three years back, but there had been delays and now we have been named the lowest bidder," PGCIL Chairman S K Chaturvedi said.
PowerGrid Corp. had in 2007 won a three-year contract to manage Nigeria's electricity transmission network. The arrangement then, would see Nigeria pay the company $5.1 million in fees to manage the ailing network, which had suffered from decades of neglect. Ireland's state-run ESB International was the runner-up bidder, at $7.6 million, while Canadian Manitoba Hydro entered the highest bid at $8.5 million.
However, the Indian utility company was declared the preferred bidder as sources said, government was interested in seeing the ailing company managed by foreign experts with technical competence.
"PowerGrid Corporation of India is hereby declared the preferred bidder," said a member of the NCP, Mohammed Hayatudeen, at an official bid opening ceremony conducted in 2007.
The deal, which was subject to approval by the NCP, had been delayed due to the non-implementation of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Act, which was passed in 2005.
The Act set up a sector regulator, stripped the PHCN of its monopoly and unbundled its grid into six generation companies and 11 distribution firms.
To revive the power sector, President Goodluck Jonathan, in August last year, launched the power roadmap. The PHCN’s generating plants as well as 11 distribution companies were slated for sale to private investors.
In a related development, the BPE has issued the requirement for the next stage of the privatisation process. The BPE boss, Ms. Bolanle Onagoruwa, said on receipt of Information Memorandum and Request for Proposal, pre-qualified bidders would be given access to physical and e-data room; would be able to carry out physical due diligence; would be issued with draft copies of the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO); would be encouraged to submit comments on MYTO; and Bidder comments on MYTO would be subject of conference to be organised by sector regulator, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
She pointed out that the objectives of the electric power sector reform were to increase electrification; ensure cost reflective tariffs; attract private sector investments into the sector; create competitive electricity market; induce investments in new power generation facilities; rehabilitate existing power generation facilities; improve efficiency by increasing collections; reduce costs and technical and non-technical losses; and improve customer service. The BPE said the firms would be shortlisted and the requests for proposal sent to the successful ones.
The core investor sales to be carried out through international competitive bidding will cover the 11 electricity distribution companies in the country.
They are Abuja Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Benin Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc; and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company Plc.
Others are Jos Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Kano Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company Plc; and Yola Electricity Distribution Company Plc.
The Federal Government had stated that the national electricity grid would be jointly financed with the private sector and development agencies. The BPE said once the bid was finalised, the management of the new super grid, expected to boost electricity generating capacity to over 14,000 megawatts (MW) by the end of 2013, would be handed over to the successful firm by the end of the year.
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