Electricity situation could get worse, says power ministry

Godknows Igali, permanent secretary at the ministry of power, has warned that the latest plummet in the country’s power generation capacity could get even worse.

Igali, who was speaking in Abuja on Friday, alongside Chinedu Nebo, the minister of power, during a  briefing with Vice President Namadi Sambo, linked the current poor power supply with activities of vandals and the current industrial action by labour unions in the oil and gas sector.‎

“Prior to the current constraints, we have generated between 4,800 megawatts at the beginning of the year with a potential to get up to 6,000 megawatts based on the available gas and hydros,” he said.

“Besides, pipeline vandalization, which has continued to have very negative impact on the power supply situation in the country, the ongoing strike by labour unions in the oil and gas sector has added additional toll.

“The current strike by both senior and junior staff unions of the NNPC, NUPENG and PENGASSAN has led to further reduction of the amount of gas available to most of our power plants especially in the western axis.”

He lamented that as at 12 noon on Friday, the Utorogu, Chevron, Oredo and Oben gas plants were all shut down, while Ughelli, CNL Escravos were all isolated already.

“On the eastern axis Shell Gas, Alakiri has also been shut down. This has led to the several power plants being stranded and shut down. These include Egbin, Olorunshogo I and II, Omotosho I and II, Geregy I and II, Ihonvor, and Sapele (NIPP) on the western axis and Alaoji on the eastern end.

“The overall effect is that power supply, which had started picking up steadily since the beginning of the week following repairs of various vandalized portions of the ELP Line and the Trans-Forcados Gas Pipelines, has fallen to all-time-unprecedented low of 1,327m at 1.00 p.m. on Friday, 22nd May, 2015. This situation could get worse if the strike action continues.”

He expressed the hope of the federal ministry of power that ongoing discussions between the ministry of petroleum resources, the Nigerian petroleum corporation and the labour unions, will end amicably and soonest to spare the country from such a major disruption of essential service.

“Indeed, it is hoped the labour unions would help restore supply of gas to the power plants even while negotiation are ongoing,” he said.