16 August 2012, Sweetcrude, ABUJA – MINISTER of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has assured on the readiness of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to raise the level of gas supply to the nation’s power plants within the next four weeks to boost electricity generation and supply, She disclosed this while briefing the press in Abuja, saying the emergency plan unveiled in the gas sector few months ago had begun to yield results.
The minister said the emergency plan was planned to last for 12 months and is aimed at addressing the shortage in gas supply to the various thermal power plants in the country.
The plan is meant to increase gas supply to the grid in three tranches over the 12-month emergency period, Alison-Madueke further said.
The first tranche was for 180 million standard cubic feet of gas per day within two to three months of the roll-out plan, followed by the addition of 35mmcf/d by October/November 2012, and a further 300mmcf/d by February/March 2013.
The minister said, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the combined impact of the additions would result in an increase of 2,000 megawatts of electricity by the end of the emergency period.
According to her, further growth was envisioned beyond the emergency period in tandem with the power sector.
“Beyond the interventions, work continues steadily on the implementation of the gas emergency supply plan with further planned targeted additions. Within the next four weeks, a further 65mmcf/d is expected to come from ongoing work at Oredo. This addition will effectively bridge the outstanding gap in its supply to the available power plant on the western axis,” she said.
