Kunle Kalejaye
12 May 2016, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The management of Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, are currently working on a contractual agreement that will enable National Independent Power Plants, NIPP will provide about 265MW of Spinning Reserves.
Spinning Reserve is the extra generating capacity that is available by increasing the power output of generator plants that are already connected to the power system or grid.
The reason for the agreement, according to the General Manager, Communication and Public Relations, NDPHC, Mr. Yakubu Lawal, is to facilitate grid responsiveness during swings and disturbances on the transmission network.
In a statement issued on the relevance of the NIPPs, after 10 years of conception, Mr. Lawal stated that the provision of spinning reserve and other ancillary services are being practiced all over the world adding that Nigeria now largely rely on NIPP plants to provide the electricity.
Against the backdrop of alleged non-relevance of NIPP, the statement reiterate that the NIPP project is definitely not a failed project.
The statement explained that the NPDHC has over 2,000MW of generation capacity readily available for deployment as soon as vandalized gas processing projects are completed by the associated nominated gas suppliers thus presenting the best opportunity for the rapid improvement of the power supply.
It also added that eight of the 10 power plants in the NIPP portfolio, along with associated gas transmission metering/receiving infrastructure projects to support commercial operation, have been commissioned and connected to the national grid contributing over 2000MW of energy daily.
While it is a fact that power generation is often disrupted by acts of vandalism on gas pipelines and transmission lines, Mr. Lawal in the statement stated that the NDPHC does not offer such incidences as excuses.
“The NDPHC has continued to operate these power plants in the interest of the Nigerian economy, despite undesirable security challenges and an accumulated debt of over N94bn owed it by the electricity market, which is more than a tangible contribution to the nation’s supply of electricity,” he said.
He stated further that many of the NIPP power plants on the national grid also provide ancillary services in support of system operations, a contribution critical for stabilizing the national grid.
