Should Joshua Dariye return as Plateau State Governor after the end of emergency rule?
Nationwide Blackout Looms
•Agip's $400m IPP suffers setback By Mike Oduniyi, 11.18.2004
Energy crisis in the country may shift from the petroleum sector to the power sector as all parts of the nation now experience frequent blackout following a sharp drop in electricity generation by the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). THISDAY checks revealed that electricity generation by the state power utility has dropped by about 41 percent to 2,060 mega watts (mw) in the last two weeks from an average 3,500 mw achieved by NEPA for the greater part of this year. Also, the hopes of boosting NEPA's dwindling generating capacity from the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC's) Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Kwale, Delta State, has been dashed after the $400 million thermal plant could not be completed as scheduled last September. The first phase of the project, whose completion has been postponed thrice now, was billed to contribute 330 mw to NEPA's national grid network. Available statistics showed that all the three hydro power stations namely Kainji, Shiroro and Jebba, are out of operations. NEPA officials attributed the situation to a drastic fall in the water levels at the dams feeding the plants. The officials further blamed the Nigerian Meteorological Department for allegedly feeding the authority with wrong forecast concerning expected flood from River Niger that would eventually drip into the dams feeding the hydro power plants. Electricity generation from NEPA's thermal plants did not fare better either. Official statistics showed that the Lagos Egbin Power plant was generating about 1,000 mw compared to its installed capacity of 1,320 mw, Delta plant, 500 mw from possible 600 mw and the Afam plant in Port Harcourt doing 200 mw compared to its 700 mw capacity. The Lagos State/AES Barge Ltd emergency power project supplied 210 mw to the NEPA grid. NEPA has a total installed capacity of nearly 6,000 mw from a mix of hydro and gas-fired power plants. The current power output is 3,940 mw or 66 percent short of total national requirement put at 6,000 mw. Members of the public have already started complaining of frequent power cuts being experienced in the past two weeks, even while NEPA continued to slam high bills on consumers. Speaking on the development, NEPA's Executive Director (Generation), Engr. Okechukwu Ozoemena, confirmed that the authority had engaged in massive load shedding in recent time. Ozoemena confirmed that an expected "black flood" into the River Niger last September did not materialise as earlier forecast. "What happened, we can't explain. There must have been miscalculation on the part of the meteorological people concerning the flood expected from the River Niger, so we used up the water in the lake but did not get water as expected," he said. "A committee has been set up to find out what happened," he disclosed. He said that one generating unit from the Egbin Power Plant had also been taken out for maintenance and that lack of funds had been the bane of the authority in carrying out rehabilitation of the plants as scheduled. Ozoemena said only one unit of the entire eight generating units in the Kainji Hydro-power plant in Niger State, had been rehabilitated since the station came on stream in 1968. He added that the authority required about N25.6 billion to put the plants into top shape next year. According to the NEPA director, there was a need to raise funding level after the hope of additional 330 mw power output from Agip's power plant failed to materialise. He disclosed that the IPP was first expected to commence operation last December but was shifted to June this year. Another completion target of last September was also not met. Agip officials attributed the set-back first to disturbance by Niger Delta militants who chased away contractors handling the project and also to delay in clearing necessary equipment and materials from the Ports. "These issues have now been resolved and we are looking to complete the first phase of the IPP by next February," a company official said. The Agip power plant is one of the key projects the Federal Government is relying upon to boost electricity supply in the country following the poor performance of NEPA. Government said it had released a total of $2 billion between 1999 and 2002, to substantially raise power supply from 1,600 mw in May 1999 to 4,000 mw in December 2001.
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