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Electricity: Non-payment for gas cuts off 6,482mw

By on June 28, 2017

The Nigerian electricity grid dropped by 1,000 megawatts (mw) as generation crashed to 2,982mw in the early hours of Monday, during the Sallah festivity.

Equally, the continued poor payment for gas supply to the mostly thermal Generation Companies (GenCos) has denied Nigerians access to 6,000mw available at about 17 power stations.

Operational statistics of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) yesterday showed that the peak generation of electricity as at Sunday was 3,903mw but that sharply dropped to 2,982mw on Monday. The lowest generation for Sunday was 3,108mw.

Another industry statistics said 17 electricity GenCos could not generate 6,000 megawatts (mw) last Tuesday because they could not pay for gas supply.

The GenCos, comprising 10 conventional thermal plants and seven other plants under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) only generated 2,587mw out of their combined available capacity of 9,084mw.

The plants had signed a gas supply capacity of 2,199 million metric standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) but produced just one third of their generation capacity.

The report showed for instance that Egbin GenCo which has capacity for 1,100mw only generated 220mw and lost a huge 880mw to the poor payment.

Another 2,184mw was lost at four power plants that have not been operational in the period. Sapele Steam, Afam IV-V and Afam did not sign for gas contract due to some constraints.

The plants were not operational and therefore could not deliver 1,680mw. Alaoji NIPP which has 504mw capacity did not sign for gas and also did not operate.

 

[Daily Trust]