Power generation hits 4,327MW despite gas pipeline fire

Power generation in Nigeria increased by 1,100 megawatts in four days despite last Thursday’s fire incident that affected the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline supplying gas to some power plants.
While the nation’s current transmission capacity was put at 7,000MW, network operational capacity stood at 5,500MW.
Total electricity generation stood at 4,327MW as of 6am last Thursday, January 11, compared to 3,227.9MW last Sunday, when 12 power plants were idle.
The rise in generation followed the resumption on Monday of gas supply to six power plants – Egbin (Lagos), Omotosho I and II (Ondo), Olorunsogo I and II and Paras Energy (Ogun) – after the completion of the repair work on the pipeline, which was damaged by the fire incident on January 2.
The plants did not generate any megawatt of electricity for four straight days until Monday when the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System, supplying gas to them, came back on stream.
The nation generates most of its electricity from gas-fired power plants, while output from hydropower plants makes up about 30 per cent of the total generation.
Total generation, which fell slightly to 3,517.5MW as of 6am on January 3, 2018 (the morning after the grid collapse caused by the first pipeline fire), rose to 4,102.3MW on January 10.
Unutilised generation capacity occasioned by gas constraint dropped to 1,004.8MW as of 6am on January 11 from 3,133.3MW on January 5, according to the data obtained on Friday from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.