BLAME ELECTRICITY BLACKOUT TO NIGER DELTA MILITANTS!

BLAME ELECTRICITY BLACKOUT TO NIGER DELTA MILITANTS!
                               By:
              Nurudeen Dauda
             June 13, 2016
nurudeendauda24@gmail.com 
nurudeendauda24@yahoo.com
nurudeendauda.blogspot.com

Gas to Power down 50% over attacks: “ Recent upsurge in vandalism has not only negatively impacted on oil production but reduced Nigeria’s domestic Gas production by 50% which in turn constrained Gas supply to Power Plants in the country…Nigeria has lost over 1,500 megawatts of power supply to the damage of the farcados 48-inch export pipeline which is the country’s major artery that accounts for 40-50% of Gas production…the 48-inch export line operated by Shell, NNPC and other JV partners was vandalized in February 2016 crippling export of crude oil from the terminal…”-(Daily Trust: June 9,2016).

There are currently two main types of power plants operating in Nigeria: (1) Hydro-Electric and (2) Thermal or fossil fuel power plants. There have been two main types of fossil fuel/thermal power plants in the country: (i) Coal-fired and (ii) Natural gas-fired .The country depends mainly on Gas Power Plants to generate electricity. Out of about 22 power generating stations in Nigeria only 3 :( 1) Kainji (2) Jebba and (3) Shiroro are Hydro-Power Stations while the remaining 19 are THERMAL STATIONS:
(1) Geregu 1 Kogi Sate: 159 MW capacity;(2) Alaoji NIPP,Abia:130 MW capacity;(3) Ihovbor NIPP,Edo Sate:279 MW;(4)Ughelli Delta State:515MW;(5)Sapele 1,Delta state:101MW;(6) Omotosho NIPP, Ondo:226MW;(7)A.E.S, Lagos State:50MW;(8) Asco,Kogi State:50MW;(9) Olorunsogo1,Ogun State:231MW;(10)Okpai,Delta Sate:452MW;(11) Omotosho 1,Ondo State:254;(12) Sapele NIPP, Delta State:166MW;(13) Geregu NIPP, Kogi: 213 MW;(14)Odukpani NIPP, Cross River:100MW;(15)Rivers IPP, Rivers State:50MW;Ibom,Akwa Ibom:529MW;(16) Olorunsogo NIPP,Ogun:194MW;(17) AFAM IV-V, Rivers State;(18) Egbin, Lagos state:1,006MW;and (19) Shiroro Niger Sate.

The first few months of president Buhari witnessed tremendous improvement in the electricity supply due to improvement in the supply of Gas to the power plants. Stable Supply of Gas was responsible for the improvement and it was due to stoppage of diversion of Gas-power plants because of the early fears of president Buhari in what was described as “BODY LANGUAGE”period.  
Power sector in Nigeria has three cycles:(1) Generating Companies (GENCOS),(2) Transmission Company of Nigeria(TCN) ,and (3) Distribution Companies (DISCOS). Each of the cycles depends on one another. If the generating companies generate it must be transmitted before the Discos will supply to the final users. The Discos will only supply to the final users what they receive from the transmission companies and the transmission companies will only transmit what they get from the GENCOS. Pipelines vandalism effects generation! Electricity Tariff is shared among: (1) GENCOS-60%, (2) TCN-11%, (3) DISCOS-25% and (4) Other stakeholders-4%
Privatization is majorly on the DISCOS: The eleven private distribution companies are now responsible for selling electricity to Nigerians nationwide. The distribution companies buy the electricity in bulk from generation companies that produce the electricity in different locations. The transmission company of Nigeria limited, which is owned by the federal Government of Nigeria, delivers the bulk electricity to the distribution companies, who deliver it to their customers, the DISCOS are as follows:
(1) Eko DISCO- Lagos state;(2) Ikeja DISCO- Lagos state;(3)Benin DISCO-covering: Edo, Ekiti, Ondo Δ(4) Ibadan DISCO- Covering: Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Kwara, Niger(Mokwa, New Bussa, Ibi, Jebba North)& Ekiti (Effon-Alaye,Iwaji-Ekiti,Ijowa-Ekiti,Irele-Ekiti,Orile-Imesi);(5)Yola DISCO- covering: Adamawa,Borno, Taraba& Yobe states;(6) Portharcourt DISCO- Covering: Cross River, Rivers, Akwa Ibom,& Bayelsa states;(7) Kano DISCO-covering: Kano, Kastina& Jigawa states;(8) Kaduna DISCO-covering: Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara& Sokoto states;(9) Jos DISCO-covering: Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe & Benue states;(10) Abuja DISCO- covering: FCT, Kogi, Nassarawa & Niger states; and(11) Enugu DISCO- Enugu,Anambra,Imo,Abia& Ebonyi states.   

Ownership: The power plants are classified, based on ownership, as either: (1) Fully owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN),(2) Owned by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC). The NDPHC is owned by the three tiers of government in Nigeria (Federal, State and Local). These power plants are referred to as being part of the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) AND (3) wholly owned by state governments and/or private companies/individuals. Such a power plant is referred to as being an Independent Power Producer (IPP).

Capacity, generation and demand: As of December 2013, the total installed or nameplate capacity (maximum capacity) of the power plants was 6,953 MW. Available capacity was 4,598 MW. Actual average generation was 3,800 MW.As of December 2014, the total installed capacity of the power plants was 7,445 MW. Available capacity was 4,949 MW. Actual average generation was less than 3,900 MW.

Our major weaknesses in the power sector is our inability to diversify our electricity or power sources to :(1) Nuclear,(2) Coal,(3) Waste,(4) Wind,(5) and  Solar energy etc. However, the only way out is to concentrate on other sources of power mentioned above. The minister of power has already recognized the fact that each region has its potential and said they will concentrate on that. Both North West and East, for instance, can generate power through “Solar” and “Wind” energy. The North-Central can generate power through Hydro and Coal plants. The Southern part can generate through Gas plants. But all this cannot happen tomorrow as they did not happen in the last 16years despite spending trillion dollars.
We have some ongoing Hydroelectric Power stations : (1) Kano Power Station(2) Zamfara Power Station(3) Kiri Power, Station Benue state(4) Zugeru ,Niger state,(5)Gurara power stations ,Kaduna State , and (6) Mambilla Power Station, Taraba. Only Mambilla Power Station has over 3000MW and Zugeru has about 700MW.  2016 has allocation funds for Mambilla Power project. 
 
Finally, Fashola’s competence or otherwise as a  minister of power ,works and Housing can only be fairly determined through budgetary implementation as the only major yardstick of measuring ministers performance or any democratic government in general. Fashola was appointed in November, 2015 and the budget he is supposed to implement was signed in 6th May, 2016.However, Fashola and all other ministers have from 6th May,2016 to 6th May,2017 to implement their budget which will determine their performance or otherwise.  
May God bless Nigeria!

Popular posts from this blog

ON MUHAMMAD SANUS II: NOT IN DEFENSE OF BUHARINOMICS By:

ON MUHAMMAD SANUS II: NOT IN DEFENSE OF BUHARINOMICS                          By:              Nurudeen Dauda              7th September, 2023 nurudeendauda24@gmail.com nurudeendauda@yahoo.com nurudeendauda.blogspot.com To start with, this is not an attempt to defend Buharinomics , but just an attempt to set the records straight. Ours from the 1970s to the 1980s through the 1990s to the year 2000s and to date have always been the economy and there was never a time that we were "Better Off" but only getting "Worse Off" by the "passage" of each administration. What ought to have been done on the economy was never done ,we have been postponing the evil day through economic cosmetics policies. The economic hardship being experienced currently by most Nigerians "revolves" around the two major policies by the Tibunu's administration ; namely: fuel subsidy remo...
Read more

UNDERSTANDING THE ZIMBABWE'S MILITARY STYLE

UNDERSTANDING THE ZIMBABWE'S MILITARY STYLE                               By:               Nurudeen Dauda              November 29, 2017 nurudeendauda24@yahoo.com nurudeendauda24@gmail.com nurudeendauda.blogspot.com  In my observation, Mr Mugabe overstretched his luck by allowing his "wife" of 21 years old marriage to destroy his good relationship with his political friends of over 40 years with whom they struggled for independence. Not only the people with whom Mr Mugabe struggled for independence would have felt insulted by the scheming of his "wife" to succeed him as president, but also many keen observers. The military was convinced that Mr Mugabe overstretched his luck and calculated very well on how to douse tension on itself from the global, continental and sub- regional rejection and condemnation. In my analysis, the "lessons...
Read more

UNDERSTANDING THE CBN'S NEW DECISION ON 43 ITEMS

UNDERSTANDING THE CBN'S NEW DECISION ON 43 ITEMS                             By:               Nurudeen Dauda               13th October,2023 nurudeendauda24@yahoo.com nurudeendauda24@gmail.com nurudeenda.blogstop.com To start with, what the CBN did in 2015 as part of its dollar "demand management" was to "delist" 43 goods from its official foreign exchange window which was then about N305 to $1 far "cheaper" than the parallel market window rate which was then about N600 to $1 in order to reduce the "demand" for dollars as a result of its drastic short in dollar "supply" due to the collapse of crude oil price which is its major "source" of Dollars supply. Crude oil price reduced then to as low as $30 from as high as above $100 per barrel coupled with lower crude production. It is important to note that the then CBN decision which delisted those 43 i...
Read more