The current epileptic supply of electricity being experienced across many parts of the country is as a result of the massive drop in generated power by 1,000 megawatts in the last one week, the Federal Government has said.

Figures released by the Federal Ministry of Power showed that the country’s peak generation as of October 15, 2014 was 3,513.5MW, against a peak demand of 12,800MW.

It, therefore, means that the country is currently generating about 2,500MW.

Many Nigerians have in the last one week decried the poor supply of electricity and criticised the power firms for not living up to expectation since the sector was privatised last year.

The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had during a recent unscheduled visit to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company charged the management of the firm to, as a matter of urgency, address the epileptic power supply in the entire Federal Capital Territory and its environs.

But speaking in Abuja on Monday, the minister said the poor electricity supply across the country in the past one week was due to the 1,000MW drop in power generation.

Nebo said this during the Presidential Expert Group Meeting on Infrastructure Ranking and Scorecard Roadmap organised by the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

The minister, who attributed the drop to the menace of gas pipeline vandalism said, “We want to be very sure that this is nipped in the bud with regards to gas supply and we are doing everything possible to minimise the incidences of vandalism.

“Now, look at what vandalism has cost us; nearly 1,000MW of power in the past one week on a daily basis. And this means that every Nigerian is cringing in pain because of the loss.”

Earlier, during the meeting proper, Nebo explained that two major gas plants were severely affected and this had warranted the fall in electricity generation.

He said, “Recently within the past week, the Okoloma gas plant has been down due to sabotage, blowing up and vandalism of three of its wellheads, and then robbing Shell of the capacity to deliver over 180mscuf of gas on a daily basis. When you translate this, you are talking of over 720MW of power that is stalled for the past several days.

“So, that really caused our power generation transmission and distribution to dwindle. And the NPDC is also having challenges because of old gas generating plants that quite often the components are either due for repair or for maintenance. And some of these parts are not readily available but these things need to be changed.

“That has also knocked off nearly 80mscuf of gas. When you add this to what we have lost in Shell, you will see why we have dropped 1,000MW in the past several days. That will show you what gas can do and our continued dependence on gas as our major source of energy to our power plants is really a national security issue.”

Nebo said it had come to the notice of the Federal Government that some electricity distribution companies were rejecting the power being sold to them.

He gave an assurance that the government would not hesitate to penalise culpable power firms and stated that his ministry was working out ways of ensuring that non-defaulters in the payment of electricity bill did not suffer with those who failed to pay their bills.

The minister said, “With regard to some of our distribution companies, we want to ensure that best practices are incorporated in their delivery services. For instance, we hear that there are some Discos that actually reject power that is being given to them and this is unacceptable in an economy where everybody is asking for power.

“We also want to be sure that people are properly metered and are not cut off unnecessarily. For instance, even me as minister of power, when some of the other ministries don’t pay for electricity, all of us are cut off at the same time. So, we have to cringe in pain too and that is not because we didn’t pay, we paid. But if somebody else has not paid, all of us are affected one way or the other.

“So, we need to find a very systematic way of making sure that people pay what they ought to pay and when they don’t pay they are penalised and others who have paid are not affected. There should be no collateral damage for neighbours simply because somebody has refused to comply.”

On the reason for the meeting, the President, NSE, Mr. Ademola Olorunfemi, said the scorecard and ranking system would ensure the adequate monitoring and evaluation of the nation’s infrastructure stock.

http://www.punchng.com/news/power-generation-drops-by-1000mw-to-2513mw/

comments

Bambam
There you go..after 16 years of PDP’s misrule..we are still generating just 2500MW..whither Nigeria..I weep for my fatherland..haba kilode!!..enough is enough..Buhari to the rescue please..give us Buhari and APC in 2015..or you give me Yorubaland..we can’t continue this fraud called Nigeria unless we change!!!

Leksman111
This is the worst administration Nigeria has ever had, what’s going on in that country. It seems nothing is working anymore. I think the power generation was stable and going higher under Nnaji before GEJ appoint this clueless Nebo guy.

Busanic
Clueless government

http://www.dynamicherbals.com CHUKWUDINKA
The federal government should swallow her shame and bring back professor Barth Nnaji as the minister of power to address this mess in power. History will never forgive president GEJ for failling this low even in the power sector. What was supposed to be his prime legacy has degenerated to such a low level unseen with his predesessors in government. VP sambo and Dangote have stolen power from Nigerians. By the time Buhari is sworn in next year President GEJ would have learnt a lesson that he will never have any other opportunity to correct. The only constant in GEJs administration is treating his IGBO loyalist with disdain. BRING BACK PROF BARTH NNAJI TO POWER SECTOR OR CHECK OUT OF ASO ROCK NEXT YEAR

Alex Wali
prof.indeed you are a disgrace to that statues why don’t you resign you are full of excuses even have the guts to be celebrating your family in the front page of the newspapers feeding fat with public money shame on you,shame on you,shame on you,shame on you,shame on you,shame on you chinedu nebo!!!!!!!!!!!!!,shame on you,shame on uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dave
16 wasted years under PDP misrule.We are not going forward but going backward.Just like late Fela said “na back the country they take walk,we dey reverse gear”.

Jboy
Is this a reason why Jonathan should be re-elected? all we’ve heard since he assumed office has been perpetual drop in power generation. The man ought to have done at least one thing that we can point to as his achievement. It doesn’t matter how much lie Reuben Abati tells, Nigerians are experiencing the reality. Please vote this nonentity out of office. He’s of no good.

kiziking
The failure in power generation is a clear indication of the irresponsibility and non competence of the PDP 16 years led administration. This is very shameful! I wonder the courage with which GEJ comes out to address Nigerians. Sometimes I wonder if these incapacitated illiterates interested only in looting are aware of what is happening in Nigeria. A very shameful thing that Nigeria could not generate a thousand megawatts in four years. The interest of our president is buying of opposition governors and woeing OBJ. I am a Christian from the south east. I swear that nothing will stop me from voting Buhari with all my family members. Nigeria at the moment has no leader. We only have a puppet without backbone.

Ikenwe
Excuses Excuses and Excuses!!!, More than 4 years of GEJ leadership and yet power supply continues to dwindled despite huge funding. What a shame. The Minister of Power instead of resigning as will be expected in the “real world” can continue to blame whoever or whatever he likes for the failure of Government’s to provide Power for Economic growth. I am surprised they have not started blaming APC and Boko Haram yet for the lower Energy generated.

I just wonder what legacy GEJ will leave behind as it winds up cause it is getting clearer to even his ardent fans that, based on performance this Government does not deserve a return ticket.

APC, Nigerians are waiting for you to show the right leadership and we hope you can step up your game!!!

Buhari/Fashola/Osho/Rochas
Am sure Bath Nnaji would probably be rolling on the floor in a rib-cracking laughter right now. When excellent and performance-oriented men are not given enough room to spearhead a positive cause such as revitalizing the power sector due to some selfish and nefarious interests, this is what you get. EPILEPSY AND JAUNDICED ELECTRICITY…….How can true development come if by now, we are still grappling with generating electricity or is this BOKO HARAM AND APC’S handiwork too? Am sure some people would quickly start reminding me of how much was expended during OBJ’s tenure with nothing to show for it but did GEJ not know that before saying he will solve electricity issues withing 3 years? ABEG NA CLUELESS GO, CLUELESS COME. MAKE PDP JUST COMMOT ABEG WE DON TIRE.

JJ
A good example of Jonathan transformation. And he still has the audacity to ask for our votes. I dey laugh o. We have clowns in government.

Bassey
Apc caused the power generations drop.

Koko
It’s unfortunate that the minister of power will be using the excuse of pipeline vandalism to justify lack of power supply in Nigeria. A renowned professor that he is, he should know that gas is not the only source of power generation. More so, Nigeria has more than one big hydro dams for power generation. Why are they not working? What about coal power plant in Enugu? What has become of Egbin thermal power plant in Lagos? These are other sources of power general available in Nigeria. Why are they not working? To say that the reason for drop in MW generation is due to pipeline vandalism is ridiculous and shameful. The simple reason for drop in power generation is shear selfishness of those ruling Nigeria. The question one need to ask is, id there power supply in ASO villa? Is there power supply in legislative quarters and ministers’ quarters even with this drop in generation? Obviously yes, they all have power supply over there, but the people they are governing are languishing in utter darkness every day. A true leader will sacrifice his ease and convenience for the satisfaction of those he’s leading. That is not the case in Nigeria. In Nigeria, it is the leaders (rulers) who have the best of everything. This is the reason everything in Nigeria is lopsided as it is today.

Abiola
I beggggyyyyyy. Na A.P.C. no let us get light now…….. Shioor, yeye people…….Small time now they will start to blame the opposition… I beg make february come make the good people of Nigeria sweep these yeye people out of Aso Rock Villa……Case closed…..

fatusin
But this man has just been decorated with CON!

Wole Adebisi
The guy need to have his brain examined for thinking Nigerians are fools.

Allayes
In other words, we put all our eggs in one basket. So if anything happens to that basket, Nigeria will be brought to its knees. Geniuses at work! I pray that Nigeria does not get into a war situation in the near future – otherwise we will be sitting ducks for the enemy.

akin raphael
when you see hear Jerry Gana is one of the owners of Disco and you look at the list of the other investors, you know there is no hope for steady power in Nigeria. You sold power infrastructure to private people, you still keep putting tax payers money in those infrastructures and citizens pays 702 naira every month as fixed charge every month, then estimated billings, you ask yourself what has changed, nothing, what they simply did what Winners take all, share all, loot all. In Abuja here some areas don’t have light for three weeks, but when you use your generator to watch television you see TAN advert showing powers everywhere and telling us power is stable.

Clet
Which power is this is? Is it not Power to the people? PP…..DD….PP……..

Jonathan must go with this drop in power supply....

Watch this space as APC e-maggots gets excited over this news. They will litter this page with jargons of which none is aimed at fixing the problem. APC is armed against the Nigerian people.

Oya let the bashing begin. Lol. Well, I still receive light for an average of 14hrs a day so I don't care.

The rains are going, going, gone. Time to blame Tinubu and buhari, saboteurs.

ratiken:
What this space as APC e-maggots gets excited over this news. They will litter this page with jargons of which none is aimed at fixing the problem. APC is armed against the Nigerian people.

Una done begin blame Apc already?