TOTAL BLACKOUT LOOMS AS 18 OF 23 PLANTS PACK UP

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said 18 power plants out of the 23 plants have shutdown due to shortage of gas supply to them.

In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, NERC Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi said the commission noticed with concern the acute shortage in power supply and the attendant hardship Nigerians are passing through.
It said: “At present, 18 out of the 23 power plants in the country are unable to generate electricity due shortage of gas supply to the thermal plants with one of the hydro stations faced with water management issue. This has led to loss of over 2,000megawatts (mw) in the national grid.”
Many banks yesterday sent emails and text messages warning of early closure of banking activities by 1:00pm, a situation they attributed to shortage of fuel and worsened power outage ever.
It said the situation is worsened by the ongoing industrial actions of oil and gas workers which has constrained the supply of gas to the electricity plants.
While appealing for calm from consumers on the blackouts, NERC said the Nigeria Gas Company disclosed high incidence of vandalism of pipeline networks but assured that repair works are being intensified.
Meanwhile Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo to quickly has called on the workers who had just ended their strike to take remedial steps to restore gas supply to the nation’s power stations, in the national interest.
In a statement, Prof. Nebo said the action resulted in the shutdown of gas plants including Utorogu, Chevron Oredo, and Oben in the western axis, while Ughelli and CNL Escravos are all isolated already.
These caused several power plants to become stranded and compelled to shut down, he said.
Some affected power plants include Egbin, Olorunsogo I & II, Omotosho I & II, Geregu I & II.
Others affected are Ihovbor and Sapele NIPP plants slated for commissioning yesterday, Monday while its sister plant, Alaoji commissioned in March was also affected.
Meanwhile, Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, Concessionaires of Kainji and Jebba Power Plants yesterday said that there has been no breakdown at Kainji and Jebba plants.
The company said as at time of the system collapse occurred, the generating Units were on the National Grid. The Units Separated due to the National Grid failure.
It should also be noted that effort has been made by the National Control Center to Black Start the System using Kainji Power Plant. Kainji and Jebba Power Plants remain available to supply power as soon as the National grid is restored.
Finally, since Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited took over Kainji and Jebba plants in November, 2013, the company has not only stabilized operations of the power plants but has also increased generation capacity of the plants despite various frustrations.