Why outages persist, by PHCN, others
By Yakubu Lawal, Yetunde Ebosele and Taiwo Hassan
WITH three months left for the
incumbent government to complete its reforms in the energy sector,
industry players yesterday gave reasons for the fresh crisis in the
power generation and distribution chains.
Amid the crisis on the home front, Nigeria last week commissioned the
Ikeja West-Sakete Benin Republic's high-tension transmission lines to
export 80 megawatts (mw) of electricity to the neighbouring country.
In fact, power generation in the country is said to have declined to
below 2,500mw.
The Guardian learnt that in the last one week, the average power
generation hovered between 2,100mw and 2,250mw.
Apart from Benin Republic, Nigeria under a bilateral agreement,
supplies about 100mw of electricity to the Republic of Niger.
But General Manager, Public Affairs of the Power Holding Company of
Nigeria (PHCN), Mrs. Efuru Igbo, said the company generated about
3,000mw of electricity.
Igbo told The Guardian that PHCN was substituting generation from the
hydro power station as the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) had reduced gas
supply to its thermal plants.
"We are generating about 3,000mw but you should know that our
operation has been hampered by lack of gas from NGC," she said.
According to her, the Lagos thermal station in Egbin generates about
800mw, including about 280mw from the Lagos AES barges.
But The Guardian sources revealed that only two of the six units at
the Egbin Thermal Station were functional, adding that three units were
forced out of operation as a result of low gas supply.
It was also learnt that three units were slated for Turn Around
Maintenance (TAM) at a cost of $100 million. The plant has six units of
combined installed capacity of 1,320mw.
"Three units have been shut down indefinitely due to the inadequate
gas supply by the NGC," the source said.
The source added that contract was awarded late last year for the
remaining three units to a foreign firm at a cost of $100 million for
the TAM but "a few weeks ago, two of the units were blown up
simultaneously leaving only one working. This is the reason why the
whole country, especially Lagos, is experiencing outages."
When contacted yesterday, Managing Director of NGC, Mr. Chris
Ogiemwonyi, said the low level of gas supply to PHCN was caused by the
vandalism of its Escravos-Lagos pipeline on February 18, 2006.
Ogiemwonyi said his company currently supplies about 200 million
standard cubic feet of gas per (mmscf/d) to PHCN, as against the 350 to
380 mmscf/d under normal condition.
He promised that full supply would be restored to PHCN as soon as the
pipelines were repaired and normal production resumed.
Both Ikeja and Eko distribution companies are worst hit as many parts
of the network under their jurisdiction are reeling in darkness due to
poor supply from the national grid. The outfits are emerging legal
entities under the unbundling of the PHCN by the Federal Government
under its power sector reform.
Lagos and its environs consume over 45 per cent of power generated in
the country. But the state currently receives less than 25 per cent of
power required to meet its demand.
Speaking with The Guardian yesterday on the power situation on his
network, Chief Operating Officer of Ikeja Distribution Company, Mr.
Reuben Okeke, said allocation of electricity from the national grid to
the zone had dropped from about 600mw and 650 mw to 250mw and 260 mw on
the average.
Similarly, available information also has it that the Eko
Distribution Zone gets far less than 300mw on the average from the
national grid.
Okeke said of this, certain customers in the network, such as the
Lagos International Airport, were so important that light must always be
available on their premises, adding that by the time the security points
were supplied, the leftover was so meagre that that massive load
shedding could not be avoided.
