Power sector loses N460.3bn in 2018
The estimated monetary loss in Nigeria’s power sector has risen to N460.3bn in 2018 alone.
The data obtained from the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing in Abuja on Friday showed that between January 1 and November 8, 2018, the sector lost N460.253bn.
The FMPWH explained that the huge financial loss was due to insufficient gas supply, distribution and transmission infrastructure limitations as well as water reserves issue.
It was also gathered from the Nigeria Electricity System Operator that power generation wobbled persistently, as figures from the NESO showed that it fluctuated between 2,500 megawatts and 3,000MW for the most part of October and November 2018.
It, however, dropped to as low as 1,927.9MW on October 29, 2018, while the data from the System Operator put the country’s power generation at 3,437.1MW on November 8, 2018.
The SO said peak power generation attained on November 8, 2018, was 4,964MW.
In another report, the Advisory Power Team in the Office of the Vice-President stated that on November 8, 2018, the average quantum of energy that was sent out to power users was 4,014MWhour/hour, down by 49.03MWh/h from the previous day.
The APT said 658.4MW of electricity was not generated due to unavailability of gas.
“0MW was not generated due to unavailability of transmission infrastructure, while 2,002.8MW was not generated due to high frequency resulting from the unavailability of distribution infrastructure,” the APT stated in a report made available to our correspondent.
It added, “Nil MW was recorded as losses due to water management. The power sector lost an estimated N1, 277,000,000 on November 8, 2018, due to insufficient gas supply, distribution infrastructure and transmission infrastructure.”
It said the dominant constraint on November 8, 2018, was due to high frequency resulting from the unavailability of distribution infrastructure, constraining a total of 2,002.8MW from being available on the grid.
The report stated that peak average energy that was ever sent out to power users was 4,557MWH/H on February 2, 2016.
It said the peak power generation ever attained on the national grid was 5,222MW on December 18, 2017.
“Estimated amount lost to insufficient gas supply, distribution, transmission and water reserves to date in 2018 is N460, 253, 000, 000,” the report added.
Power generation has been largely unstable since the beginning of this year.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission recently stated that during the first quarter of 2018, the total electricity generated was 8,511,481MWh, two per cent less than the generation recorded in the last quarter of 2017 despite the increase in available generation units.
NERC stated that the quarterly industry’s daily generation peak of 5,047MW recorded on February 14, 2018, was also less than that of the preceding quarter.
“With the decrease in generation, not surprisingly, the average utilisation rate of the total available generation capacity declined by 1.1 per cent from 54.4 per cent recorded in the last quarter of 2017,” NERC stated.
It added, “Gas constraint is largely responsible for stranded capacity that led to the decline in generation. Other factors limiting generation include the transmission line and distribution networks limitations and water management.”
