There will be enough gas for 6000mw by Q2-NNPC

Notwithstanding the current challenges of gas supply to pow­er generation companies, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petro­leum Corporation, Dr. Mai­kanti Buru has said that there will be enough gas to gen­erate about 4800 megawatts and 6000 megawatts of elec­tricity by Q2 2017 based on the corporation’s gas supply plan.

He, however, pointed out that that may not be possible because the power sector is presently struggling to evac­uate 4500MW power due to Discos’ incessant rejection of allocated load and transmis­sion line constraints.
Latest figures from the gov­ernment show that power generation rose to 4109MW earlier this week.
Baru who spoke at the 2017 edition of the annual Society of Petroleum Engi­neers (SPE) Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (OLEF) in Abuja on Thurs­day, explained that attacks on gas pipelines remain a major challenge for the sector but assured that despite the diffi­cult environment which “we operate, we are committed to ensuring adequate gas supply to meet the Nigerian indus­trial growth”.
To this end therefore, he said NNPC has tendered and was expecting contrac­tor financiers to take up the construction of its 650 ki­lometres northern gas line network which would run from Ajaokuta in Kogi State to Abuja, Kaduna and then Kano when completed.
He explained that the ten­der processes for the con­struction of the line, would be concluded by the end of the second quarter (Q2) of 2017, after which preferred bids who would recoup their investments from the opera­tions of the line ought to be announced.
Baru said the corporation would put in good efforts on the construction of the Aja­okuta to Kano gas line, add­ing that the 123 kilometres East-West Obiafo/Obirikom to Oben (OB3) pipeline and looping of the Escravos-La­gos Gas Pipeline System from Warri to Lagos would also be completed by the end of 2017, and July 2017 respec­tively.
“The Ajaokuta-Abuja-Ka­duna-Kano pipeline is cur­rently on tender. This project will soon be awarded under a contractor financing scheme. The pipeline is a typical ex­ample of public private part­nership and it is being ten­dered and going to be funded by partners who would re­cover their investments from the operations of the pipe­line,” said Baru.