By Shakrullah Odunsi
President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, to a meeting over the frequent grid collapse which has led to a blackout across the country.
Recall the national grid collapsed twice within 24-hours last Monday and Tuesday throwing major parts of the country into darkness.
The president is expected to discuss the erratic power supply experienced across the country in recent weeks.
Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, announced the development in a statement on Monday.
“President Buhari has also voiced his concern over the frequent power outages, apologising to Nigerians and assuring a quick relief to the situation.”
The president had last week apologised to Nigerians over the petrol scarcity and power outage experienced in the country.
Buhari had said the collapse of the national grid was being addressed, adding that “relief is on the way”.
“A dip in hydroelectric generation due to seasonal pressures has coincided with technical and supply problems at thermal stations,” the president had said.
General Manager, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, said a summary of the power generating profiles in the last two months, for instance, clearly shows that fourteen (14) gas-powered generating stations were either not generating at all or had limited generation at various times within the period, further depleting the quantum of power generation available for transmission into the grid on a daily basis.
According to Mbah, power generating stations in this category included; Omotosho units 5 and 6, Olorunsogo units 3, 4, and 6, Omoku units 3 and 6, Omotosho NIPP units 3 and 4, Delta units 15, 17, and 18, Afam VI units 11 and 12, Olorunsogo NIPP unit 3, Ihovbor NIPP unit 2, Sapele Steam unit 3, Sapele NIPP unit 1, Odukpani NIPP units 1 and 3, and Okpai units 11, 12 and 18.
Also, within the same period, Jebba Hydro and Shiroro Power Generating Stations were either out or had limited generation, causing additional loss of 232MW from the grid, while other power generating plants such as Omotosho units 3and 4, Olorunsogo units 1, Delta units 10 and 20, Afam VI unit 13, Ihovbor NIPP units 4, Geregu NIPP units 22 and 23 and Odukpani NIPP units 2, 4 and 5, have also been out either on fault or for scheduled maintenance, causing a further loss of about 3,180MW from the grid.
She explained that a combination of the above scenarios has persisted and the total effect on the grid is a persistent low generation, which TCN operators have had to strive to dispatch in a way that will not jeopardize the stability of the grid.
‘‘More recently, from March 1-4 2022, there was generation shortfall due to water management in Shiroro and Jebba hydro with the loss of 307MW and 125MW respectively from both stations. Within the same period, there were fault and technical problems in Egbin, causing 514MW shortfall and in Geregu causing 230MW shortfall, while reported fault at Alaoji NIPP reduced generation from the substation by 263MW.
Gas constraint alone in Olorunsogo gas generating plant reduced generation from the station by 104MW, in the same vein, Omotosho gas lost 102MW and Sapele NIPP lost 263MW. In Omotosho NIPP, there was a generation shortfall of 233MW and in Omoku a shortfall of 112MW. Two units in Okpai have limited generation due to technical problems causing a 204MW drop in generation and in Afam VI 511MW drop in generation.
Gas constraint and fault in Olorunsogo NIPP reduced generation by 240MW, Geregu NIPP by 435MW, and Ihovbor by 142MW. Also, due to gas pipeline pigging, Odukpani NIPP was shut down which caused a reduction of generation by 575MW,’’.
