The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) today announced the completion of repairs on the Escravos pipeline. In addition, gas supply to several power generating companies have been restored. The Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing had in a statement released last week promised to restore power as soon as possible.
Why this is big news
The shut down of the pipeline meant that several power stations in the country had to be shut down. They include the Egbin 1,320MW; Olorunsogo NIPP 676MW, Olorunsogo 338MW, Omotosho NIPP 450MW, Omotosho 338 MW and Paras 60MW power stations.
The sudden loss of generation due to interruption in gas supply from these stations caused the national transmission grid to trip off around 20:20 on 2nd January 2018, throwing a large section of the country into darkness. The national transmission grid is owned and operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Most of Nigeria’s power generation is from thermal power stations that require gas for fuel. The gas is produced by oil and gas companies overseen by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The gas is delivered to the power stations through pipelines owned and operated by Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Ltd (NGPTC), a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
About the pipeline
The Escravos–Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) is a natural gas pipeline built in 1989 to supply gas from Escravos region of Niger Delta area to Egbin power station near Lagos in Nigeria. The pipeline is operated by the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC),a subsidiary of the NNPC. Gas is generated by several oil companies in the country.