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Power generation drops by 431MW

By on May 27, 2014

Power generation dropped to 3,674 megawatts on Saturday, May 24, 2014 from the peak of 4,105MW recorded last month, representing a 10.49 per cent drop.

This information was contained in the Daily Operational Report of the Transmission Company of Nigeria made available to our correspondent on Sunday.

The Egbin gas power station was said to be generating the most at 550.17MW, followed by Okpai, Afam VI and Delta, with 456.83MW, 387.95MW and 365.63MW, respectively.

The Alaoji NIPP, Omoku and Trans Amadi power plants were said to be generating nil megawatt.

The Federal Government had on April 23 this year announced that the country’s generated power hit a record high of 4,105MW.

According to the government, the rise in power generation was attributable to the reduction in system collapse as well as improvement in service delivery, among other things.

Since the physical handover of the 18 successor companies of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria to private investors by the Federal Government on November 1, 2013, electricity generation in the country had hovered around 3,000MW.

But from the May 24 report, power generation in the country is still being constrained by low gas pressure (or no supply in some cases), maintenance issues, vandalism and water management issues.

The Federal Ministry of Power, in a statement last month, had said, “Nigeria’s power generation is coming up again with the current generated megawatts hitting over 4,000 as of Tuesday.”

In April, the ministry revealed that the country’s industrial nerve centre, Lagos, and environs got the highest allocation of 985MW.

“The maximum load allocated to Abuja through the Katampe and Gwagwalada power line was 410.80MW,” it added

Meanwhile, the prevailing uncertainty in the nation’s power sector caused by the dwindling electricity supply and poor investment, among others, is currently generating huge concerns for   the sector regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The situation has heightened tension in the Federal Ministry of Power, resulting in intervention by the NERC to avert further crisis.

Our correspondent learnt from sources in the ministry that the poor performance of the sector, cutting across distribution, transmission and generation, was a source of concern to the regulator and the government.

This situation had resulted in NERC demanding that all electricity distribution companies supply the details of their operational database for proper assessment and monitoring of their activities.

 

 

[Punch]