Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja
Despite getting 66.53 per cent of the total amount of domestic gas supply for one year, Nigeria’s electricity generation has remained low.
Figures obtained on Friday (5.21pm) by our correspondent from the country’s power System Operator indicated that electricity generation had dropped further to 2,035.20MW.
This showed a drop of about 800MW from 2,841.9MW, which was given as of 12.42pm on Thursday by the SO.
Ironically, the latest data from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation showed that the percentage allocation of gas to power plants in Nigeria from February 2015 to the end of January this year was far higher than what was allocated to manufacturing sector.
The report stated that although the power plants received close to 70 per cent of the total domestic gas allocation, power generation in Nigeria had continued to hover around 3,000 megawatts to 3,500 megawatts. The Federal Government had early last year set a 2015 target of at least 6,000MW.
Although there had been series of complaints of gas pipelines rupturing by vandals, the latest figures from the NNPC’s group financial report showed specifically that gas-fired power plants got an average of 701.84 million standard cubic feet of gas per day or 66.53 per cent from February 2015 to January 2016, as against the 353.06mmscfd or 33.47 per cent gas that was supplied to industries.
The NNPC said, “From the 1,134.41mmscfd of gas supplied to the domestic market in January 2016, about 733.5mmscfd of gas representing 64.66 per cent was used for gas-fired power plants while the balance of 400.9mmscfd or 35.34 per cent was supplied to other industries.
“Similarly, for the period of February 2015 to January 2016, an average of 1,054.90mscfd of gas was supplied to the domestic market comprising an average of 701.84mmscfd or (66.53per cent) as gas supply to the power plants and 353.06mmscfd or (33.47 per cent) as gas supply to industries.”
The corporation added that “a total of 734mmscfd was delivered to the gas fired power plants in the month of January 2016 to generate an average power of about 3,237MW compared with February 2015 to January 2016 average gas supply 699mmscfd and power generation of 2,990MW.”
Operators in the power sector as well their counterparts in the oil and gas industry on several occasions had blamed the poor performance of power firms on the recurrent rupturing of pipelines supplying gas to the plants.
Even as they admitted that gas supply to power had been high when compared with what industries got, they maintained that until the trend of vandalism in the power and oil/gas sectors reduced considerably or stopped, the issue of low electricity generation might persist.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had during the first stakeholders meeting involving operators in the power and oil/gas sectors, said that he would ensure that there was adequate gas supply for electricity generation, but frowned at the level of pipeline vandalism.
Similarly, the Executive Director, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, told our correspondent that the low electricity generation was not entirely the fault of power firms.
He noted, for instance, that the fall in electricity generation earlier in March this year was as a result of the industrial action by workers in the transmission arm of the power sector.
Oduntan said, “The recent fall in power generation to 2,800MW happened when workers were picketing Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company and the union mandated the transmission persnnel in Osogbo to go on strike.
“After they embarked on strike, there was nobody to wheel the energy from generation to distribution companies. And this led to high temperature in the generation companies and they were forced to shut down. That’s what happened during that period early this month.”
On allegations that power distribution companies were compounding the sufferings of electricity consumers by not accepting the load allocated to them, Oduntan said such scenarios had stopped since last year.
He noted that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission had penalised the companies that were involved to ensure that it did not reoccur.
Oduntan said, “If your allocation is 20 per cent and maybe allocation to Kano is five per cent, but it could not wheel the amount to Kano and decided to give the Kano Disco maybe three per cent. That means there is extra two per cent, and it now wants to give this amount to you.
“Now, if you take it, that is fine. You will pay for the energy. But in addition to that, it will penalise you and you will pay the internal penalty. This scenario happened sometime last year, around the middle and late 2015. As a result, NERC called for a meeting on the issue and withdrew that practice. So, it has stopped since then and even now, we have very low generation, less than the wheeling load.”
www.punchng.com/power-generation-drops-further-to-2035-20mw/

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PassingShot Gbawe egift ngeneukwenu demdem omenka aresa arresa how far with light in your area? Hope you are enjoying the change? Progressives wants to hear your onspot epistles of change.

When will tinubu call out Fashola the rocket science minister of power?

APC and Buhari have nothing positive to offer to this country all.

And fuel they expensive. ... Inventer tins

How did we get here?


Well, let's blame GEJ

Change indeed

What da F this is truly change .


Power generation will rise today fall tomorrow.

Fuel price will rise today fall tomorrow.

The exchange rate will rise today fall tomorrow.


This country is more predictable than bet9ja.

I tire 4 dis country oooo.

No light since ystdy.
No fuel 4 town to buy 4 gen.
Celebrating Easter wit heat.

Na wa ooo!



My country needs alot of prayers!

Lets pretend as if there is nothing wrong with Nigeria in General...


I was given March 2016 PHCN bill on 15th Of March and only saw Light on 18th and since then, no light... I have to pay right

I am burning Generator after buying each day 5 liters for 160 naira (Since last month) that 800 naira, and we still pretend everything is okay good?

Prices of goods now double the original price and we still singing everything is okay in Nigeria

We are aware of the 50naira stamp charges on every 1000 naira deposited in my account, Everything is okay right?

We are aware of the proposed 9% increment on Phone, Tv bills etc

1$=300+ naira and we are singing, Everything is allright in Nigeria...


Its Exact 1 months and 2 days to One year in Office of PMB...


Its Exact 3 years to Another Elections in Nigeria...


Let all Endure until a day like this in 2019 when we will all vote for another sufferings and chains...


God Bless Nigeria!!!!

Until we the masses start to play our part, fairly constant electricity will continue to elude us.

The same people sabotaging the little efforts government is making to increase power generation are the first to shout 'we haven't seen light for days now'. How were you to see light when you've taken to vandalisation as profession.

You want utopia, but have sworn to disturb the hood, how's she to grow into even South Africa?

APC is the biggest scam in the history of Nigeria

What is Fashola the super Minister doing about the incessant drop?

Body language

Gud

good news

_This is exactly the same type of government ran in Egypt before God sent Moses. Government of lost hope and suffering

Sai Fashola

Happy Easter Nigerians

1.I know I would be called a fictional creature, who can transform people into said fictional creature via certain behaviours seen in certain members of other species, but this is not the government's fault...in a manner of speaking.

2.We can blame the government for not providing enough security at the pipelines which has led to them being attacked. We can also blame the local communities certain of whose youth members are responsible for attacking the pipelines....and who are defended as being latter day Guevaras....when they, by attacking the pipelines, make matters worse for their local environment.

3.Now on to the problems

a) We are not generating enough electricity. At max....we can generate just enough electricity to give everyone 12 hours of light. You would agree that is not enough for anyone to do anything.

b) We also have a very old aged transmission system, which needs serious fixing. And if it is not fixed....we will continue to have problems. And it is going to take years plus trillions of dollars to fix. Now...we do not have trillions of naira or dollars or even cedis to fix anything.

c) Bills are not paid by many Nigerians. One of the DISCOS said that a minority of customers actually pay the bills for a majority. That is not fair...and that went on before NEPA became PHCN.

d) We are also overloading the national grid by just connecting everyone to it. Just now...20 VILLAGES in lagos were connected to the grid How can?

SOLUTIONS

1.We need to end vandalisation of power facilities. If we can start handing down 20 Year sentences for vandalizing power lines,....and 30 for gaspipelines....so be it.

2.We need to increase generation. APC has promised 2000 extra megawatts. They must fufil that promise. We must also get up to 13000mw by 2019.And that includes Nuclear...solar, gas, and even refuse/waste/biogas.

3.We also must improve the transmission system. And this is not a one year job. More like five years.

4.Nigerians must be ready to pay higher for electricity. If not by bills...by taxes. The power supply has been privatized. and unless you want Govt to take over the whole thing again (which would provoke heavy duty lawsuits from the companies...the DISCOS and GENCOS)....THAT is the way forward.

5.We also must accept that this is going to take a while. In my opinion....ten years.


So...Nigerians....either we make this work....or we don't. We must work with and put pressure on our government and the DISCOS/GENCOS to make this work.

(This message was not paid for by the Presidency,Ministry of Information, the Stand with Buhari group, or even the National Non-existent Creatures Committee.).

Nigeria...needs N5 trillion to make power work (Thisday, Dec 1997)

Dollard$

Na Generator sure pass,but We buy fuel here 160 per liter,I no dey hope on Nepa again

God bless naija

And yet, this is CHANGE! Who is more clueless: One who made us have a steady range of 4000 mw or one Who has given us less than #3000mw of steady electricity??

My annoyance is the type of words Fashola and Buhari were talking against the past Administration!

I am still looking for the Jet Explanation of this decreasing level of power supply daily as APC team insisted saying that 24/7 power supply is no rocket science!

please bring back our buhari's body odour.

.

God help us b4 we get total darkness one day

When will end come to this!

Buhari oooh!

God knows I will not celebrate it if in future new set of power generating plants are installed. What have we done with the plants we have? What is the maximum available power these plants can generate, how much power are they generating for now? What is/are the cause(s) of frequent drop in power generation? How can we optimize these plants to improve their efficiencies.

I want to believe the meagre 4,000MW we generate (which has recently dropped to about 2,000MW) is not the maximum our plants can bring us. Why aren't we looking in the direction of addressing these periodic drops?

If this problem persists, bring countless power generating plants, they will suffer the same problems.

I most times get furious and tired of this country and ask if it's a taboo to enjoy something as basic as light and fuel.

Is Nigeria under a spell?

is it so difficult to copy brazil's lula silva?

The rains will soon be here again and we experience improve power. But thunder go fire anyone who praise government in that period.