Hydro plants improve power supply

Improved power supply in the past three weeks, especially in some parts of Lagos State, was not as a result of the closure of industrial concerns during the festive periods. It was due to increased output by hydro power plants and reduced gas pipelines vandalism, it was learnt yesterday.

The Executive Secretary of the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), Dr Joy Ogaji, told The Nation that the hydro power plants were made to produce more during the festive periods to boost supply. According to her, the hydro power plants had to abandon their water management plan set for January to December to achieve this target.

She said power production from the hydro plants is planned in such a way that outputs are higher during rainy season when water levels are high and lower during dry season but because of the Yuletide, the hydro plants have to produce more this time even when they didn’t have enough water. This is to show the commitment of power generation companies to ensuring stable power supply, she added.

Ogaji, however, expressed fear that the current improvement in power supply may not be sustainable because the hydro plants are overshooting their production limit, which may not persist for long. She noted that the thermal plants were also over-stretching their capacities to ensure that output is substantial.

To her, generation companies (GenCos) are burdened by huge debt of over N460 billion, which has made it difficult for them to maintain the machines and buy gas. Some of the power plants have been shut down because of lack of money to buy gas, while some plants were shut down because the pipelines that supply gas to them are undergoing repairs, she said.

According to her, about 50 per cent of the N460 billion are meant for the gas suppliers, the reason gas suppliers are disinterested and uncommitted to their gas supply obligations. She added that the federal government according to media reports said it has plans underway to pay the debt but noted that APGC has not received any formal letter to that effect and currently has not involved APGC in the plan. But based on the report about government’s plan to pay the debt, the generation companies are optimizing output from thermal power plants while also putting pressure on the hydro plants. To prevent the power sector from collapse, government should intervene in payment of the debt, she added.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications of Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Godwin Sule Idemudia, confirmed there was improvement in supply.

Thenationonlineng