The Federal Government has traced the epileptic electricity supply to lack of capacity by the Distribution Companies’ (Discos) to effectively deliver energy to consumers across the country, years after privatization of the power sector.
The Group managing Director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), in a keynote address at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Annual Oloibiri Lecture Series in Abuja, revealed that the NNPC can supply sufficient gas that could generate up to 6000 megawatts (MW) of electricity by the second quarter of 2017 but that the power sector is presently struggling to evacuate 4,500MW due to the Distribution Companies’ (Discos) incessant rejection of allocated load.
Apparently, the DISCOs are operating below optimum capacity and cannot fulfill their mandate.
Baru maintained that the energy sector is struggling because of transmission line difficulties.
Speaking on the theme, “Domestic Gas Utilization in Nigeria: From Producers to Users,” the GMD disclosed that the NNPC had identified gas development projects with private investors that will deliver 15,000MW power generation but that the incessant attacks on gas and crude pipelines has significantly affected supply.
He had indicated that gas pipeline vandalism has been the most disruptive challenge to electricity supply across the country, but more recently in the West.
“It is also a challenge in the East with recurrent breach of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) almost on a weekly basis. The result of this is major disruption of gas supply in the East impacting on three power plants at Afam belonging to NNPC/SPDC JV, PHCN and RVSG,” Baru was gathered to have said.