By Thompson ABISOLA
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), on Monday, said it has wheeled out 99,781.9 megawatts of electricity in the August 2018.
The daily statistics of TCN operations obtained from Nigerian Electricity System Operator (SO), a section of the TCN, indicated that 52,075.8 megawatts was generated between Aug. 1 and Aug. 15.
This was against the 47,706.1 megawatts generated between Aug. 16 and Aug. 31.
The statistics indicated that power generation dropped by 4,369.7 megawatts between the two periods.
The daily power generated from Aug. 1 to Aug. 15 was 3,812.5mw, 3,627.3mw, 3,109.9mw, 3,278.8mw, 3,570mw, 3,123.7mw, 3,275.4mw, 3,389mw and 3,509mw.
Also in the same period, it recorded 3,396.2mw, 3,324.9mw, 3,412.1, 3, 937.7mw, 3,911 and 3,378.8.
It also showed that daily power generated from Aug. 16 to Aug. 31 were 4,425.4mw, 329.6mw, 3,560.3mw, 3,439.3mw, 3,273.1mw, 3,081.5mw, 3,118mw and 3,348.8mw.
The remaining ones were 2,944.2mw, 2,975.3mw, 3,318.7mw, 3,094.8mw, 3,453.9mw, 3,591.2mw, 3,416.4 and 3,458.5o.
The power was wheeled to 11 distribution companies. The TCN said that national peak demand forecast stood at 19,100.00mw, while the installed available capacity was 11,165.40mw and the available capacity.
The current transmission capacity and network operational capacity was 7,000 mw and 5,500.00mw respectively.
The peak generation ever attained in Nigeria was 5,222.3mw, while the maximum energy ever attained stood at 109,372.01mwh.
The Executive Secretary, Association of Power Generation Companies, Dr Joy Ogaji, recently said there had been an improved power supply.
This, she said, was due to increased output by hydro power plants and reduced gas pipelines vandalism.
Ogaji said 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.
She said 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.”
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.
Similarly, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, recently said Nigerians would continue to enjoyed constant power supply under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Fashola said Nigerians had been spending less money on alternative power sources, such as fuel for generators, because the country’s power situation had improved. According Fashola, well-meaning Nigerians were aware of the improvement, noting that the government was doing its best to work harder for them and improve service delivery.
He said, “We are on a journey to a destination of promise and eventual prosperity and I use this occasion to salute the efforts and contributions of all those who have brought us this far.
“Even if those who were most vocal in condemnation when the situation appeared very dire is now uttering some muted acknowledgment that it has improved.
“We must continue to draw inspiration from well-meaning and right thinking Nigerians who were gracious enough to publicly acknowledge that they are saving some money from diesel they used to spend for generators.
“They are running their generators for fewer hours; and they are getting comparably more power than before,” Fashola said.
However, the Director, Research and Advocacy (ANED), Mr Sunday Oduntan, said recently in Lagos, that “the sector is bleeding,” which is why the country cannot have stable power.
Oduntan maintained that the re-flow crisis in the sector is a major issue, and there was a need to tackle the subject collaboratively without sentiments or politics.
He suggested that Nigeria’s national budget should contain a certain amount consistently dedicated to transmission for the expansion of the grid, and also create a robust environment to increase distribution network and capacity.
Oduntun attributed the perceived inefficiency of the power distribution companies to infrastructural challenges, and the need for heavy investment and cooperation of customers, especially in the area of energy theft.
He, however, implored decision-makers not to drag ANED or the power sector into the country’s mucky political waters. Oduntan said: “We should not play politics with power but rather treat it as a stand-alone entity that can help to build the economy.
“In doing this, issues should be addressed and not personalized, and people with contrary opinion should not be seen as enemies of the state, because at the end of the day, we are working at the same objectives.”
