Nigeria’s electricity generating capacity rises 3% in Q1 2018, says NERC
NIGERIA’S GENERATING capacity grew by just 3 percent in the first quarter of 2018 compared with the preceding quarter, the country’s electricity regulatory body, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said.
NERC said the slow growth of just 3 percent was as a result of acute shortage of gas, obsolete transmission and distribution facilities.
It disclosed in a report that Nigeria lost 47 percent of available electricity generation capacity in the first quarter of 2018, as the available generation capacity rose to 7,477 megawatts (MW)
It disclosed in a report that Nigeria lost 47 percent of available electricity generation capacity in the first quarter of 2018
relative to the last quarter of 2017. The available capacity was stranded during the first quarter of 2018 due to a combination of factors, including inadequate gas supply, limi- tation in transmission and distribution networks, and water management.”
to some factors, the increase in the available capacity did not translate into increase in output as total electricity generated during the first quarter of 2018 decreased by 3 percent, recorded in the preceding quarter. It showed that just 53 percent of the available capacity was utilised during the first quarter, a decrease of 1.4 percent from the capacity utilization during the preceding quarter,” it noted.
According to the commission, there was a noticeable increase in gas constraint during the quarter under review relative to the last quarter of 2017.
The report showed that the generation capacity constraints due to gas supply increase from a daily average of 541 megawatts (MW) during the fourth quarter of 2017 to 1,925.4 megawatts (MW) in the first quarter of 2018.
“Gas shortage during the first quarter was exacerbated by a fire incident on the Escravos Lagos Pipeline of the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company (NGC) Limited which affected six thermal power plants, including Egbin, Omotosho and Olorunsogo plants, among others.”
Also, during the quarter, some GENCOs including Geregu also had high quantity of condensate in the pipeline, limiting the quantity of usable gas supplied to them.