The Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo has stated that the Lagos and Abuja airports each incur over N1 billion in monthly energy costs.
In an interview aired on Channels TV on Tuesday, Keyamo explained that the rising electricity expenses have further strained the financial operations of both flight services and the airline industry.
He further said that this is why he is advocating for off-grid energy solutions at airports, particularly emphasizing the use of renewable sources such as solar power.
Keyamo believes that transitioning to these alternative energy solutions could significantly reduce operational costs and enhance sustainability in airport operations.
“We want to go full blast into off-grid power supply with these airports because that is the major source of loss of revenue at these airports. You have to run diesel when there is no flighty landing or anybody present there.
“You will be running diesel for the whole day with big generators—buying diesel, paying electricity bills. We need to look at going off-grid and now we are fully ready for that to use solar to run these airports so we don’t have to pay these high bills.
“We are doing far more than N1 billion for Lagos; far more than N1 billion for Abuja in a month. We are paying these for power in a month. It’s an open secret,” Keyamo said.
Speaking further, Keyamo stated that the rising electricity costs have prompted him to initiate an audit of power consumption at the airports.
He noted that the high energy bills existed prior to his tenure as minister but emphasized that such expenses cannot continue under his leadership.
While acknowledging the significant cost of energy, he stated that his priority is to secure more affordable alternative energy sources for the industry, aiming to alleviate the financial burden on operations.
“The point is that energy costs a lot. Now, whether it’s fully accurate, it’s why we are doing an energy audit. I’ve inaugurated an energy audit. I won’t allow some of these things happen under me without taking a second look at at them.
“As I speak with you, an energy audit is going on now. Very powerful individuals called me not to look into it, but I stood my ground. I said it’s not cheap to get source of power from here. I’m looking for cheaper source of power. We can source for cheaper source of power, ” he said.
Despite various government interventions, Nigeria’s power sector continues to face significant challenges, primarily stemming from underinvestment and liquidity shortages.
In May, the federal government launched a N130 billion payment initiative aimed at addressing a portion of the N1.3 trillion debt owed to gas suppliers within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
This initiative is part of broader efforts to stabilize the sector and improve electricity supply, which is critical for supporting economic growth and operational efficiency across various industries.
