Gas shortage cuts 2,148MW electricity from grid

Shortage in gas supply for power generation cut down electricity by 2,148 megawatts (MW) at the national grid last Thursday, a report has shown.

The daily operational report from the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing yesterday showed that 10 Generation Companies (GenCos) were unable to get enough gas to produce that quantum of power which was their actual operational capacity. DAILY TRUST has reported.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, while briefing newsmen recently at the New Haven Transmission Substation in Enugu, said 1MW of electricity could energise about 200 homes.

Using this benchmark, our analysis shows that about 429,600 homes could have been energised with the 2,148MW lost to gas shortage last Thursday when peak electricity generation started at 4,514MW and dropped to 3,467MW

A breakdown of the shortage indicates that Geregu NIPP GenCo in Kogi State was worst hit as it lost 435MW. Its entire generation capacity was shut down due to the gas constraint.

Olorunsogo NIPP in Ogun State lost 360MW and could not generate any power; while Afam VI GenCo in Rivers State lost 340MW to the shortage.

The other heavy losses occurred at Omotosho NIPP in Ondo State where 240MW was lost; another 230MW was not generated at Odukpani NIPP near Calabar.

Omotosho Gas and Olorunsogo Gas GenCos lost 152MW each; Alaoji NIPP in Abia State lost 120MW, Ihovbor NIPP near Benin lost 110MW, and Paras Energy in Lagos could not generate nine megawatts during the period.