- Capacity dwindles as 16 of 26 power plants operate at 37% volume
- Power grid suffers 46 collapses in five years – NERC
The prospect of improved electricity supply across the country remains an illusion as data from the sector regulator, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, on Monday showed that 16 out of the 26 power generating plants in Nigeria were performing below capacity.
Many Nigerians had complained of blackout throughout the Easter holiday due to a shortfall in supply from the national grid.
Data obtained from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission on Monday revealed that some power plants- Afam IV-V, Sapele ST, Olorunsogo NIPP, Omotosho NIPP, Sapele GT NIPP, Ihovbor NIPP, Geregu NIPP, Omotosho, Olorunsogo, Ibom Power, River IPP, Omoku, Trans Amadi, Paras, Taopex Energy and Dadin Kawa- currently produce just about 1,053MW (37 percent) of the power consumed in-country.
On the other hand, only 10 power plants classified as major, including, Egbin ST, Delta GS, Kainji Afam VI, Odukpani, Shiroro, Jebba, Okpai, Azura IPP and Geregu currently generate 56 percent, about 3,398MW of total power consumed.
Although the 26 plants have a total installed capacity of 12,199MW, current electricity generation by the generating companies of less than 5000MW, is a far cry from what the country requires to reach industrialization.
Experts said that the country needs nothing less than 30,000MW to reach its power sufficiency.
This is as the NERC in its newly released ‘Nigeria Electricity Report: Energy Billed, Revenue Generated And Customers By DISCOS’ for the fourth quarter of 2023, said power supply increased by about 15 percent across the country despite recent nationwide reality showing consumers lamenting low supplies.
“However, on a year-on-year basis, electricity supply increased by 14.64% compared to 5,611 (Gwh) reported in Q4 2022,” the report said.
As of last week, the country recorded its second national grid system collapse.
In September 2023, the Transmission Company of Nigeria reported a total of 46 grid collapses in the country between 2017 and 2022.
In 2017 and 2018, there were 15 and 12 grid collapses respectively, while in 2019, there were nine grid collapses, four in 2020 and two in 2021. In 2022, there were four grid collapses.
Although the TCN said it has since restored power supply after the last grid collapse a few days ago, the company blamed gas constraints on most of the grid collapses.
And until Monday morning, electricity consumers still reported skeletal power supply across their various franchises.
TheTCN on Sunday said it had information of a planned attack on its facilities in Zuba, Abuja, urging residents to report any suspicious movement around the area to the security agencies.
The TCN also said that until there’s some level of consistent gas supply to Generation Companies, managing the grid and minimizing grid disturbances may be difficult.
In a statement by the General Manager, Public Affairs of the company, Ndidi Mba, the government-owned TCN stressed that vandalism also remains a major cause of grid collapses in the country.
This year alone, the national grid has suffered two known collapses, throwing the entire country into total blackout.
Also, Gencos have recently blamed their inability to sustain power generation because of about N3 trillion owed them by the federal government.
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, promised at the weekend that the gradual payment of the debts will begin this April.
“As efforts to stabilize gas supply progress, TCN emphasizes the importance of consistent gas availability to sustain optimal power generation and facilitate easier grid management, reducing system disturbances. It is a fact that low power generation substantially increases grid fragility.
“In addition to gas supply challenges, TCN faces various sector-specific hurdles; some impact other players in the value chain, but invariably affect grid stability.
“Vandalism is a persistent challenge, as clearly seen in the first quarter of 2024 alone, in which five significant vandalism incidents disrupted transmission operations, necessitating emergency repairs and, in some cases, complete tower reconstruction and/or transmission line replacement due to acts of vandalism.
“These highlight the critical need for increased community support and vigilance in protecting transmission infrastructure.
“TCN urges heightened vigilance, for now, particularly in the Zuba area, following alerts of a planned attack on TCN facilities in Zuba.
“We implore residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities around power facilities in the area to safeguard the integrity of our infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted power supply to all.
“Again, we urge everyone, especially those living close to TCN towers nationwide, to please join hands with TCN in safeguarding power transmission towers and cables,” the statement added.
The Federal Government spent nothing less than N375.8bn on electricity subsidies between January and September last year, according to the NERC.
According to NERC’s Chairman, Sanusi Garba, the Federal Government will still pay electricity subsidies to the tune of N1.6trn throughout 2024.
While the GenCos have consistently blamed low generation majorly on low gas-power supply, utilities sometimes say low supplies, and apathy on the part of consumers towards payment of bills are reasons they sometimes reject load from TCN.
On its part, NERC has reaffirmed its commitment to regulatory compliance and consumer protection within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
The power sector regulator can impose various sanctions on power distribution companies for violating regulations or failing to meet performance standards.
These sanctions aim to deter non-compliance and improve service delivery and there are various types of sanctions imposed on defaulting power firms in Nigeria.
The regulator imposes financial penalties on power firms as fines varying in amount based on the severity of the offence.
Abuja Disco, for instance, was recently ordered to refund overbilled customers and fined for violating billing regulations.
Benin and Port Harcourt Discos were also fined by the regulator for failing to comply with customer complaint rulings.
On Performance Improvement Plans, the commission undertakes some measures to address specific issues, such as metering, network investment, or service quality.
It also enforces licence suspension/revocation, where in extreme cases, NERC can suspend or revoke Disco’s license, though this is rare.
It should be noted that sanctions are just one aspect of NERC’s regulatory efforts. They also issue regulations, conduct investigations, and engage in stakeholder consultations.
