The Federal Government on Friday said the epileptic power supply currently being witnessed across the country would worsen by Saturday if the ongoing industrial action by both the senior and junior staff unions of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation continues.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali, disclosed this to State House correspondents after joining the Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo, to brief Vice President Namadi Sambo on the current power problem in the country.
The meeting was held at the Vice President’s office inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Igali explained that prior to the current constraints the nation had been encountering lately, the government had been generating 4,800MW at the beginning of the year with a potential to get up to 6,000MW based on the available gas and hydro stations.
He said apart from the nefarious activities of vandals, the ongoing industrial action by the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria had led to a further reduction of the amount of gas available to most of the nation’s power plants, especially in the western axis.
“As of 12noon on Friday, May 22, 2015, Utorogu, Chevron gas plants are all shut down while Ughelli and CNL Escravos are all isolated already.
“At the eastern axis, Shell Gas, Alakiri, has also been shut down. This has led to the several power plants being stranded and shut down.
“These include Egbin, Olorunshogo I and II, Omotosho I and II, Geregu I and II, Ihonvor and Sapele (NIPP) on the western axis and Alaoji on the eastern end.
“The overall effect is that power supply, which had started picking up steadily since the beginning of the week, following repairs of various vandalised portions of the ELP Line and the Trans-Forcados Gas Pipelines, has fallen to an all-time-unprecedented low of 1,327MW as of 1pm, Friday, May 22, 2015.
“This situation could get worse if the strike (action) continues,” Igali stated.
He said it was the hope of the Ministry of Power that the ongoing discussion, involving the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the NNPC and the labour unions would end amicably soonest.
