- Investors in power sector are banking on the appointment of key government’s officials in September to get gas to improve electricity supply.
- It was gathered that investors who bought the 10 power plants built under the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company of Nigeria (NDPHC) on behalf of the Federal Government, and the successor companies from the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), believe that President Muhammadu Buhari will appoint people who would formulate policies that would help power firms to access gas for optimal performance .
- The Chief Executive officer, Abuja Power Station, Abaji, Jammel Jammal, said the September date slated for appointment of ministers and heads of parastatals by the president would determine where the pendulum swings in the nation’s energy sector.
- He said investors in the gas powered plants are waiting for the president to appoint officials that would fix the pipelines in order to ensure the turbines access gas for power generation. He said many of the plants have not been accessing gas due either to pipeline breakage or what he described as collocation – that is lack of proximity between where the pipelines and the turbines are located.
- He said his firm has the capacity to generate 500 megawatts (Mw) of electricity but the company has not been generating power since March this year, due to lack of gas.
He said: “We in Abuja Power Station plan to resume production in September, that is six months after we stopped electricity generation. Our decision is based on the statement by President Buhari that he would appoint members of his cabinet in September. When the president appoints his ministers, the sector would witness positive developments.”
Source: The Nation
