Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, has blamed hydro capacity occasioned by the unusual dry season, and maintenance work going on at the gas plants as responsible for the recent poor power supply in parts of the country.
There has been serious power outages in various parts of the country, with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) often issuing statements to residents affected, asking for understanding and patience.
At a meeting with the media in Abuja yesterday, the minister however said the problem is being addressed through a three prong approach.
“I would like to discuss the increased load shedding you may have observed in Abuja and other areas in the country. With the reduction in hydro capacity during the dry season, additional load needs to be taken up by our gas plants.
“We are having maintenance work in the Eastern Axis around Odukpani leading to reduced power supply from the usually reliable NDPHC Calabar Power Plant and we are having challenges at Okoloma Gas Station linked to Afam VI power plant.
“We are working with NNPC and other gas suppliers also to improve the pressure on the Western Axis that is precluding units from reaching optimum supply,” the minister said.
He explained that in addressing the challenges, the government is working on more gas supply contracts for the power sector backed by improved funding.
The contracts, Aliyu warned, will have stiff financial penalties for underperformance from the federal government. He also said there will be an increased energy mix to improve energy security.
“We will complete the Zungeru Hydro plant, the Katsina Wind plant, Kashimbila Hydro as well as ensure the challenges with Gurara are permanently resolved (partnering with the ministry of water). We are also working to resolve issues that have prevented large on-grid solar from taking off in Nigeria.
“We are re-tooling the system operator for improved dispatch optimization based on technologies and improved maintenance schedule alignments across generators,” he said.
By Chidi Ekpewerechi
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