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From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Following the maintenance of Nigeria Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC) facilities and the instructions from NGIC to initiate a shutdown, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDHPC) was forced to shut down its plants along the western axis.
In a statement, the media adviser of NDPHC, Mr Sanya Adejokun said that in the morning of August 6, 2023, NDPHC received immediate
instructions from the Nigeria Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC) to initiate a shutdown.
This directive, he said, was
prompted by ongoing maintenance work being conducted at NGIC’s gas facilities.
“Regrettably, this maintenance work led to a significant reduction
in the available gas quantity, reaching as low as 13MMscf. This quantity proved insufficient to adequately fuel our gas turbine, which boasts a capacity of 125MW Adding to these unforeseen circumstances, the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN) also communicated NDPHC about 10.30 am same day.
“Their notification outlined the challenges faced in gas supply along the western axis pipeline. This pipeline is vital as it supplies gas to five of our power
plants. These supply difficulties arose due to the ongoing maintenance undertaken by Seplat our esteemed gas supplier. The culmination of these events critically impacted on gas pressure, ultimately necessitating the shutdown of all our power plants” he said
While acknowledging the complexity of the challenges, Adejokun said that the company is working very hard to restore regular supply of electricity.
“We acknowledge the complex and interconnected nature of these challenges and we are actively
engaged with our partners to expedite the resolution of these issues and restore regular operations.
“Nevertheless, on August 7, 2023, NDPHC’s Omotosho Power Plant achieved synchronization with the grid. These actions were undertaken following explicit instructions and approvals received from the National Control Centre (NCC) and Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), respectively. A thorough review of the NCC’s daily load allocation table for August 8, 2023 underscores NDPHC’s unwavering commitment to meeting its contractual obligations.
“Specifically, we have consistently
fulfilled our responsibilities in supplying some distribution companies with the
stipulated electricity capacities as delineated in the Power Purchase
Agreement (PPA). It is essential to highlight that in addition to the bilateral power purchase agreements established with NDPHC, both Eko DisCo and
Aba Power are recipients of routine allocations directly from the national grid” the media adviser, said.
