*Egbin Thermal Power plant.
03 October 2016, Abuja — The national electricity grid rose to 4,229 megawatts (Mw) on the day of the country’s 56th Independence Day.
Statistics obtained from the Nigeria System Operator (NSO), a section of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), indicated that about 82,000Mw hour (MWh) was sent out on Saturday for supply across the 11 Distribution companies (Discos).
While electricity generation peaked at 4,229Mw, there was a significant drop the same day to 2,896Mw. The officials said the causes were still tied around inadequate gas-to-power for the mostly gas-based power plants.
By yesterday, the peak generation had dropped by 430Mw to 3,799Mw just as the other statistics showed that the national peak demand forecast was 17,520Mw.
Although there was an installed capacity of 11,165Mw across the about 27 power plants, only 7,139mw was available. While the TCN said it was capable of evacuating 7,000Mw, the statistics showed that the distribution network operational capability was 5,500Mw.
There was no water constraint for the hydro plants to confirm Fashola’s statement, weekly power operational report from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) revealed.
*Simon Echewofun Sunday – Daily Trust
