Why power supply dropped, by NNPC chief

The loss of 400 million standard cubic feet per day (mscf/d) of gas and reduction in water level at the hydro plants are responsible for the significant drop in power supply across the country especially in the western axis, Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr David Ige, has said.

Ige who represented its Group Managing Director, Dr Joseph Dahwa at the ongoing Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, United States, said it is a short term challenge that would be addressed shortly.

Ige who spoke after inspecting the Nigerian pavilion, said some major pipelines are out of operation because they were vandalised while generation at Shiroro hydro power plant dropped by about 300 megawatts (Mw) because of insufficient water level.


He said: “At the moment, gas supply to power stations is about one billion cubic feet a day (bscf/d). Before the end of this year we expect to see a significant increase as well. Cumulatively in the country, we are producing about two billion cubic feet of gas per day. Some of the gas we produce are available but is probably stranded because some of the power plants are not ready. For example, we have got gas at Gbaran-Ubie power plant, which hopefully should be commissioned shortly. We have gas at Omoku, which is awaiting the power plant. We have gas at Egbema power plant. When you bring all these gas volumes together, we have close to 2 billion cubic feet per day.

“But not all of it is in active generation today, either because the power is not ready, or the gas evacuation is not ready. On the Western side of Nigeria where the power plants are ready, we have a shortage of 400 mscf/d of gas, which we expect that before the end of this year, we would have reduced that significantly as some of our projects come on stream. So, over the next 12-18 months we expect leveling up on our supply to the power sector. Lagos Escravos pipeline is almost completed, we expect within the next three months, the project will be done. We have completed and commissioned Lagos to Oben. We have completed Emure, all the way to Itoki in Lagos. The beat that is left now, is from the Benin end all the way to Emure. That is progressing very well. The expectation is that before the end of August this year, the pipeline would have been completed and would have doubled the capacity to 2 billion cubic feet per day, which should be the biggest pipeline in Africa.”

He also noted that the government is havin a lot of issues in the power sector. For the past three months, the Escravos – Lagos pipeline between Escravos, Ogidi and Warri axis has been down due to vandalism, he said. “It has taken us this long to repair that pipeline because of the elections as the Joint Task Force (JTF) could not provide adequate security for our people to go in there and access it. It was only after the elections that people could access the place.