Genesis Energy Limited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited have announced a partnership under which excess power generated from the Port Harcourt Refining Company will be supplied to the national grid.
Genesis Energy operates the nation’s largest licensed private off-grid clean power plant, an 84-megawatt facility that supplies sustainable energy to the Port Harcourt refinery, which is currently dormant due to an ongoing technical review.
Details of the partnership were revealed when the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, paid an official visit to Genesis Energy’s operational site within the Port Harcourt Refinery in Eleme, Rivers State.
The visit is in furtherance of efforts by the minister to improve grid stability, expand electricity access, and advance Nigeria’s energy transition goals.
Adelabu recently lamented that Nigeria had over 10,000 megawatts of power locked in idle plants across the nation.
The minister said the Port Harcourt refinery could only use 20 MW out of its current capacity, leaving over 60 MW stranded.
Under the new arrangement, Genesis Energy and NNPC will work together to channel the refinery’s excess or stranded power to the national grid in line with the Federal Government’s Power Sector Reform and Energy Transition Agenda.
Speaking during the visit, Adelabu commended Genesis Energy’s operational excellence and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s support for private-sector investment in the power industry.
“We have over 10 gigawatts of stranded generation capacity in Nigeria today. We have energy being generated or capacity being installed all over the country that cannot be evacuated because of transmission and distribution bottlenecks,” the minister said.
“We are ready to do everything possible to attract investors to support us so that industries, businesses, and households can have uninterrupted, functional, and reliable electricity. This collaboration will serve as proof of concept for integrating excess capacity into the national grid and could lead to an additional 120 megawatts once the pilot phase is concluded,” Adelabu added.
The minister further assured that the government would fast-track transmission infrastructure and commercial arrangements to enable seamless evacuation of power from the facility to the grid.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Energy Group, Mr Akinwole Omoboriowo, said the partnership with NNPC underscored the company’s commitment to leveraging clean energy solutions for national development.
“This collaboration with NNPC Ltd. exemplifies pragmatic innovation, leveraging existing assets to expand energy access, enhance refinery productivity, and contribute to national development,” Omoboriowo stated.
He added that the initiative would create jobs, support industries, and power local communities, while reinforcing Nigeria’s journey toward a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.
