The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has hinted that Nigeria’s capacity to supply power has declined massively.
According to a statement issued by the regulatory body, 14 generation plants are working on a low capacity.
The statement reads that power generation profile has degenerated because the 14 gas stations have been operating at very low capacity and limited generations at various times within the period.
Ndidi Mba ,the spokesperson for TCN said that the situation further exacerbated the quantum of power generation available for transmission into the grid on a daily basis.
”This is coming at a time consumers are expected to pay more for electricity under the Service Based Tariff (SBT). The SBT was introduced on the ground that power will improve. Instead, the situation went from bad to worse.
”Statistics from Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc showed that an average of N720 billion worth of electricity bill is processed yearly in the country, bringing the cost to about N5.7 trillion in the last eight years. Electricity users in Nigeria settle these bills with measurable subsidy from the Federal Government.
“Currently, the cumulative generation nationwide is low and generation companies have attributed this to several factors including poor gas supply, faults in generating units, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, all of which have caused most power companies to limit their generation, or sometimes not generate at all.
“A summary of the power generating profiles in the last two months, for instance, clearly shows that 14 gas-powered 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 five and six; Olorunsogo units three, four and six; Omoku units three and six; Omotosho NIPP units three and four; Delta units 15, 17, and 18; Afam VI units 11 and 12; Olorunsogo NIPP unit three; Ihovbor NIPP unit two; Sapele Steam unit three; Sapele NIPP unit three; Odukpani NIPP units one and three, and Okpai units 11, 12 and 18.” Mba said.