Unending Gas Scarcity And Power Supply

Nigerians have undoubtedly been taken on a very long ride in terms of failed promises by successive administrations to provide constant power supply. Apart from the unfortunate oversight of not realising the need to increase power generation for decades- which was a top priority in boosting the economy of other serious African nations- gas shortage remains another baffling constant.

The perennial problem of the short supply of gas to the gas-fired power plants that are even grossly inadequate in the first place underlines the clueless Power Ministry in its quest over the years to ensure an increase in power output. While the provision of more power plants is gradually being tackled, the existing plants are constantly starved of gas, and are usually functioning far below capacity.

Yet, a recent statement from the Ministry of Power urges the already extremely frustrated Nigerians to be patient with government in its endless attempts at stabilising the system. Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo, confessed that the power situation is indeed a ‘nightmare’ that has worsened in the last few weeks as low gas supply to the power generating plants has again affected electricity generation, leading to a major drop in supply. Last week, three power stations in the east, Afam IV, Afam VI and Rivers Independent Power Plant, IPP, were shut down as a result of gas constraints arising from ‘condensate’ issues on Transnational Pipeline, TNP, putting the total generation lost from the stations at 624 megawatts. The Olorunsogo power station was also shut down due to gas pressure, with 89MWs lost, while the hitherto substantial power sources of Kainji and Jebba hydro stations are only able to muster generation on one unit each.

The minister’s remark that investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of severe leakages in the gas supply is no reassurance that the problem will soon be conquered. Nigerians now justifiably dismiss such assurances as lame having severally been assured in the past on the same issue, while the problem persists.

Currently, the country’s combined power stations can only boast about 2,628MW of electricity generation, down from the 4500 reported in December 2012. This is a direct consequence of the shortfall in gas supply. The essential gas, according to experts, has simply not been adequately harnessed over the years.

Being Africa’s top oil producer and holding the world’s ninth largest reserves, Nigeria’s power capacity should have received the required boost. Yet, the country can only generate a tenth of South Africa’s for a population three times the size of South Africa. At present, South Africa boasts over 40,000MWs. Brazil, which is not exactly a very advanced economy, also commands a well deserved applause for generating 100, 000MW.  These examples indicate at least that power supply is no rocket science, particularly as Nigeria has vast coal and renewable energy resources, apart from natural gas waiting to be tapped  for electricity generation.

Achieving this goal mainly depends on the ability of the government through the Power Ministry to get its acts together. In the meantime, since most of the existing gas-fired power plants were built without appropriate provisions for their gas pipelines and other infrastructure to aid delivering gas to them, more should be built promptly to get the best from existing power plants and those under construction.