Why power generation has been low nationwide as energy crisis worsens

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has attributed the recent low cumulative power generation nationwide to several factors which include poor gas supply, fault in generating units of generating companies as well as scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.

These are some of the major challenges that have caused most power generating companies to limit their generation, and even sometimes not to generate at all as the energy crisis in the country worsens.

This was made known in a statement titled, ‘Power Generation and Ongoing Load Shedding Nationwide’, issued on Tuesday, March 8, by TCN and signed by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah.

Mbah in the statement said that 14 gas-powered generating stations were either not generating power at all or had limited generation at various times, adding that Jebba Hydro and Shiroro Power Generating stations were either out or had limited generation, causing additional loss of 232 MW from the grid.

What the TCN is saying

The statement from TCN partly reads,

• ‘’Presently,  the cumulative generation nationwide is low and generation companies have attributed this to several factors including poor gas supply, fault in generating units of generating companies, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, all of which have caused most power generating companies to limit their generation, and sometimes not generate at all.
• ‘’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. Power generating stations in this category include; Omotosho units 5 & 6, Olorunsogo units 3, 4 & 6, Omoku units 3 & 6, Omotosho NIPP units 3 & 4, Delta units 15, 17, and 18, Afam VI units 11 & 12, Olorunsogo NIPP unit 3, Ihovbor NIPP unit 2, Sapele Steam unit 3, Sapele NIPP unit 1, Odukpani NIPP units 1 & 3, and Okpai units 11, 12 & 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 3&4, Olorunsogo units 1, Delta units 10 &20, Afam VI  unit 13, Ihovbor NIPP units 4, Geregu NIPP units 22&23 and Odukpani NIPP units 2, 4 & 5, have also been out either on fault or for scheduled maintenance, causing a further loss of about 3,180MW from the grid.’’

The TCN stated that a combination of all these have continued with a persistent low power generation on the grid, which it has strived to dispatch in a way that will not jeopardize the stability of the grid.

Going further the TCN said, ‘’More recently, from the 1st to 4th of March, 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 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.’’

TCN further reiterated that a combination of issues ranging from gas constraints, fault, and technical problems within generating plants caused persistent low generation and consequently low load allocation to Distribution Companies nationwide. This is based on the fact that TCN can only transmit what is being generated by GenCos and presently they are all generating below capacity.