Power generation in the country fell to
3 ,356 megawatts on Thursday less than
two days after a new peak of 5 ,420 .30 MW
was achieved .
The Transmission Company of Nigeria
announced on Thursday that the nation’s
power industry had achieved yet another
all – time national peak of 5 ,420 .30 MW .
The TCN , in a statement titled ‘ power
sector records new improved all – time
peak of 5 ,420 .30 MW ’ said the
5 ,420 .30 MW was effectively transmitted
through the national grid at a frequency
of 50 .10 Hz at 9 : 15 pm on Tuesday .
But total generation plunged to
3 ,356 .4 MW as of 6 am on Thursday from
3 ,877 .5 MW at the same time on
Wednesday, data obtained by one of our
correspondents from the Nigerian
Electricity System Operator showed.
Eleven out of the nation’s 27 power plants
did not generate any megawatts of
electricity as of 6 am on Thursday , up from
10 the previous day , according to the
system operator .
The idle plants were Geregu, Sapele ,
Alaoji , Olorunsogo II , Omotosho II ,
Ihovbor , Gbarain, Ibom Power, ASCO , AES
and Trans – Amadi .
“ The power sector lost an estimated
N 2 .23 bn on August 19 , 2020 due to
constraints from insufficient gas supply ,
distribution infrastructure and
transmission infrastructure,” the Advisory
Power Team in the Office of the Vice –
President said on Thursday.
The system operator put the national peak
demand forecast at 28 ,290 MW , installed
generation capacity at 12 ,910 .40 MW;
available capacity at 7 ,652 .60 MW ; and
transmission wheeling capacity at
8 ,100 MW .
According to the TCN , the generation of
5 ,420 .30 MW is the highest ever recorded
in the nation’s power sector, surpassing
the previous peak of 5 ,377 .80 MW
recorded on August 1 by 42 . 50 MW .
The new peak generation achieved on
August 1 came more than one and a half
years after the national grid reached
5 ,375 MW peak generation on February 7 ,
2019 .
The grid has continued to suffer system
collapse over the years amid lack of
spinning reserve that is meant to forestall
such occurrences. The latest total collapse
was recorded on June 2 , 2020 , according
to the system operator .
The TCN said the gradual but steady
improvement in electricity delivery in the
nation’s power sector was attributable to
the interest of the current administration of the President Muhammad’s Buhari .
“ The TCN is committed to working
assiduously to further stabilise ,
rehabilitate and expand the grid and urge
Nigerians to lend their support by
safeguarding electricity installations
nationwide ,” it said .
The TCN, which manages the national
grid , is still fully owned and operated by
the government .
The distribution and generation
companies carved out of the defunct
Power Holding Company of Nigeria were
handed over to private investors on
November 1 , 2013 , following the
privatisation of the power sector.
The nation generates most of its electricity
from gas- fired power plants , while output
from hydropower plants makes up about
30 per cent of the total generation .
