Inadequate Gas Supply Blamed for Power Plants’ Challenges
By Victor Ofure Osehobo, Benin
Inadequate gas supply and evacuation have been blamed for the many challenges power plants face in Nigeria.
Managing Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding (NDPH), Chiedu Ugbo stated thid on Thursday in Benin City.
Ugbo at the Benin generation company with members of the House Committee on Power present, said” Nigeria only generates electricity through gas and hydro power and the inconsistent gas supply across the nation was a major problem the Generating companies have to battle with”.
“Gas problem is that of liquidity, if you have the money you can get the gas company to investment. This is because people not are paying appropriate tariff in any of the value chains which is affecting all the systems from the gas producers to the power distributor.
He said gas suppliers are not being paid enough they are also unable to cover their payment to their gas suppliers, hence, “…the Gas suppliers from our discussion do not have that incentive to continue supply gas to the electric power generation companies”.
The Benin GenCo have four gas turbines with 504 installed capacity and each unit has 125 megawatt point but only one is operating at what Ugbo called, pre-select.
He also said that, “the National Control Centre asked us not to generate beyond a particular level so we are doing about 90/95 megawatts from that unit which ordinarily should be doing up to 115 depending on the temperature”
Meanwhile the Managing director has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the presidential power initiative adding that the Siemens project would provide a holistic approach to the power sector problems.
He added that the project would help to clean up the transmission and distribution networks to take up available megawatt sitting idle in the power plants.
“We have done a lot to assist the transmission company and we are still doing more. We have done over 80 projects in distribution and we are doing more to improve their capacity.
Responding, Chairman of the House Committee on Power, Hon Magaji Aliyu noted Nigeria has the potential to generate over 10,000 megawatt of electricity from existing plants
Aliyu said at the moment Nigeria currently generate about 3,000 MW which he said was insufficient. you can see the NIPP has above 4,000 megawatt installed capacity.
He said, “I sincerely believe that the problem is not about generation, the problem must be from the transmission or the distribution”.
According to him,”… we shall soon find out who is to be blamed and action will be taken against them”, adding, “we have now cancelled one out, we have a lot of power in this country”.
