Enugu to generate 1,000MW of electricity from coal, deploy technology for utilisation

Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu, says coal deposits in the state will be used to generate 1,000 megawatts of power.

According to a statement, Mbah spoke on Thursday in Lagos during the ‘Meet The Governor Series’,  organised by the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC).

Presenting a business case for investing in Enugu, the governor said the expected power generation would not be treated as a stranded asset without adequate compensation.

Mbah said Enugu’s coal deposits have about 0.5 sulphuric content, saying new technology would ensure minimal environmental impact from coal utilisation.

“We cannot treat our coal as a stranded asset, particularly the Enugu coal, which is a premium coal,” he said.

“Our target is to see how we can use our coal to generate at least 1000 megawatts of power.

“We do have technology today that makes coal utilisation less adverse to the environment. Essentially, that is the direction for us.

“Coal deposits in Enugu have less than 0.5 percent sulphur content. For a lot of coal, if you have 1.0 per cent you are still okay. But we have 0.5 per cent.

“Our coal is also very good to fire power plants due to its high calorific value. So, we are on that and we are not going to warehouse our coal resources.”

Mbah disclosed that the state worked with an investor “to get the concessioning of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport”.

He said the international wing of the airport will be operational by the first quarter of 2026, adding that “we are also investing to build the cargo terminal”.

“We are looking at bringing in additional six aircraft for Enugu Air for the Christmas season. We are obviously going to expand very quickly because we have surpassed our projections within one month of operation,” Mbah said.

Also speaking, Jonny Baxter, the UK deputy high commissioner in Lagos, said Nigeria and the UK share a long-standing trade relationship that is currently valued at £7.9 billion, the highest figure on record.

He said the figure continues to increase every year.

Baxter said the United Kingdom is currently the biggest investor in Nigeria, accounting for about “65 percent of all foreign direct investment inflows”.

“Nigeria is also the United Kingdom’s second largest trading partner in Africa and its largest export market, and in February 2024, we signed something called the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership, which is about trying to make trade smoother between our two countries,” he said.

Baxter said the partnership is the first of its kind that the UK has signed with an African country, and the second globally after India.

He added that the UK’s “developing countries trading scheme” would enable over 90 percent of Nigeria’s exports to the UK to be duty-free.