The management of Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) on Sunday, explained the circumstances that led to the shutdown of five of its power plants last week.
In a statement signed by its Media Adviser, Adesanya Adejokun, the company said the shutdown of the plants was as a result of the ongoing maintenance efforts undertaken by Seplat Energy and Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) which critically impacted gas pressure and ultimately necessitating the shutdown of all its power plants.
“It is essential to address that the outage was a direct result of scheduled maintenance on gas facilities conducted by our suppliers. This maintenance activity had a temporary impact on our operations, contributing to the temporary disruption in power supply”
NDPHC explained: “On the morning of August 6, 2023, NDPHC received immediate instructions from the Nigeria Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC) at approximately 08:25 hours to initiate a shutdown. This directive 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 (ISO rating). Adding to these unforeseen circumstances, the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN) also communicated with NDPHC around 10:30 hours on the same day, August 6, 2023. 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”.
“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 the 7th of August 2023, NDPHC’s Omotosho Power Plant achieved synchronization with the grid, precisely at 07:47 and 08:04 hours. These actions were undertaken following explicit instructions and approvals received from the National Control Centre (NCC) and NGC, respectively.
“A thorough review of the NCC’s daily load allocation table for the 8th of August 2023 underscores NDPHC’s unwavering commitment to meeting its contractual obligations. Specifically, we have consistently fulfilled our responsibilities in supplying EKEDC and APLE with the stipulated electricity capacities as delineated in the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
ALSO READ:
- Nigerians participation in oil industry now 56 per cent
- Axxela connects Jubaili Bros, Lagos Marriott Hotel, others to its natural gas network
- Egbin Power, House Committee collaborate to improve performance
- Sanwo-Olu inaugurates State Electricity Regulatory Commission, rolls out mandate
- At current tariff, Nigeria subsidizes electricity consumption with N200bn monthly
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. “This diversified allocation strategy ensures that their operational continuity remains intact, even during the limited duration when NDPHC’s supply was momentarily disrupted due to circumstances beyond our control. This multifaceted approach safeguards against any complete interruption in their operations during the few hours when NDPHC’s supply was temporarily affected”.
