Power supply dropped to 3,636MW following the shutdown of Egbin Power Plant and challenges in the transmission network.
The loss of 676MW from Egbin, Nigeria’s biggest power plant, at 10 am on Monday, dropped grid supply from 4,416MW to 3,632MW.
A statement by the generation company posted on its verified X account (formerly Twitter) said the showdown was to allow Nigerian Gas Company to maintain the pipeline bringing gas into the plant.
The plant stated: “This is to notify the public that as at 11:13 hours of 18 December 2023, Egbin Power generating station was shut down to allow the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC) to maintain a linking gas pipeline supplying gas to Egbin Power Station.
“The station will be shut down for 3 days from today. This means a reduction of 676MW of bulk power generated into the nation’s grid for 3 days and consequently the quantum of bulk power available to be delivered to distribution companies load centres nationwide for the period”.
From the transmission end, a series of incidents recorded in Lagos and Nasarawa states in the past three days have reduced the wheeling capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
The company in a statement by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah said TCN stated that “its maintenance crew is carrying out scheduled maintenance on its Keffi/Akwanga 132KV transmission line. The exercise is to enable them to replace broken 132kV Insulators.
“The maintenance commenced today, Monday,18th December, 2023, by 8.30 am to 5:30 pm for eight hours only. Keffi/Akwanga and its environs will be affected. Supply will be restored today”.
TCN had 24 hours earlier reported that at “about 7:57 pm on Saturday, 16th December 2023, there was a fire incident, following an explosion of capacitor voltage transformer on the Maryland-lkorodu 132/33kV transmission line 2.
“This necessitated the emergency opening of the substation at 7 58pm, which entailed the isolation of Maryland-llupeju 132kV line 1, which was the source of power supply to the substation”.
Mbah added that “efforts were made to extinguish the fire but due to the presence of oil-immersed equipment within the surrounding area of the explosion it was difficult until the Lagos State Fire Service arrived at 8:45 pm and put out the fire completely at 8:55 pm. At 9:02 p.m., the same day, the substation was restored back into service.
TCN said it was “diligently pursuing the reconductoring/rehabilitating of all its 132kV transmission lines and switchgears nationwide, which would greatly help eliminate such incidents”.
