Power generation drops to record 1,580MW in Nigeria – The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) yesterday confirmed that the power generation level has dropped to an all-time low of 1,580 Mega Watts (MW), thereby dampening hopes of early resolution of the nation’s power supply crisis.
The power generation slide, which was earlier attributed to gas pipeline vandalism, was said to have been accentuated by the on-going industrial dispute in the nation’s power sector.
Already the epileptic supply has been deeply impacting on commercial and domestic activities, as consumers continued to groan under intense heat and business collapse, even as fuel scarcity has blighted private power generation.
According to the TCN’s System Operations, the lower generation automatically degenerated into lower power allocation to the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) across the country.
The power allocation data obtained by The Guardian yesterday showed that Ikeja received 234.09 MW; Abuja, 181.77MW; Eko, 173.87MW; Benin, 142.25MW; Enugu, 142.25MW; Ibadan 205.48; Jos, 86.93MW; Kano, 126.45MW; Kaduna, 126.45MW; Port Harcourt, 102.74MW and Yola Disco got 55.32MW accordingly.
The drop in power generation started last week after the nation recorded about 4200MW on daily average, from the peak generation of 5074MW on February 3.
The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) had estimated the nation’s electricity demand at 160,000MW, with the national grid managing a capacity of 6,020MW.
But the Asst. General Manager (Public Affairs), SO/MO, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Clement Ezeolisah, said there was no system collapse, attributing the generation slide to the on-going labour dispute in the power sector.
“We have not recorded any system collapse since the beginning of 2016, and all hands are on deck to keep it that way,” he said.
The Head, Corporate Communications, Eko Electricity Distribution Plc, Idemudia Godwin, appealed to electricity customers in its network, blaming the blackout poor supply from the national grid as well as the labour action, which has militated against its operations. Read more (Credit: The Guardian)
