Posted by Louis Iba, Abuja on
The Power Holding Company of Nigeria on Sunday, reported losing 500mega watts of electricity at its Egbin, and the Kwale/Okpai thermal plants.
The Power Holding Company of Nigeria on Sunday, reported losing 500mega watts of electricity at its Egbin, and the Kwale/Okpai thermal plants.
An official of the company who disclosed this to told our correspondent in Abuja, said the newly inaugurated 300MW Kwale/Okpai plant had been shut for maintenance, while shortages in natural gas supplies from the Nigerian Gas Company had reduced electricity generation at Egbin by 200MW. At full capacity, Egbin generates 1,320MW electricity.
'As at Friday evening, we were losing 400mega watts at Egbin due to shortages in gas supplies, but by Saturday night gas supplies had improved and we were only losing 200mega watts. But at the Kwale/Okpai station we are effecting a tying-in-process that will take three weeks to complete and so we will be losing the 300 mega watts the plant contributes," the source who preferred to remain anonymous, stated.
He described the losses as regrettable, especially coming at a time the electricity firm was making improvements in power generation and supply to customers. PHCN, he said was generating in excess of 3,250MW.
The Kwale/Okpai thermal station had been shut earlier in the year to facilitate repairs on a vandalised pipeline near Onitisha, in Anambra.
He said the overall effect would be slight load shedding and power interruptions across the country as PHCN battles to distribute the available generated power to consumers.
He, however, assured that water levels had increased in the dams and that the hydro power stations were contributing substantially to electricity generation in the country.
Shortages of gas supplies to power thermal plants have remained a consistent excuse by PHCN.
In the last two decades, electricity generation had been very abysmal in Nigeria hovering at between 2,000MW and 3,800MW in a country in need of about 10,000MW of electricity.
It has remained a key factor marring the economic development of the country, with the worst hit, however, being the manufacturing sector, which has had to invest and bear additional costs in providing private sources of power for their businesses.
The Punch, Monday, July 18, 2005