Osinbajo, experts list reasons outages may persist
‘Nigeria currently generates 4,000mw’
With the availability of 185 trillion cubic feet gas reserve, which puts Nigeria in the seventh position within the largest gas deposit countries in the world, electricity will continue to be erratic because there are no gas infrastructure, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the opening of the ninth Nigerian Association for Energy Economics (NAEE) conference, Osinbajo said Nigeria does not have the capacity to fire gas plant up to 7,000 megawatts.
He said: “It is worth reiterating here that Nigeria has natural gas reserve of over 185 trillion cubic feet, one of the largest in the world. Despite these huge resources, we still face huge energy supply problems. In fact, it is an irony that we do not have sufficient gas to fire our power plants up to 7,000 megawatts, yet in energy industry circle, Nigeria is described as more a gas territory that an oil territory.”
The Vice President, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Power, Privatisation, Chiedu Ugbo, lamented that while Nigeria has over 12,500 megawatts of installed electricity generating capacity, only about 7,000 of this is available when all equation is equal.
According to him, more damning is the fact that less than 4,000 megawatts are readily available to end-users in the last two weeks.
Vice President Osinbajo said: “From the system operators’ report, the average energy generated and sent out for distribution to end-users in the past two weeks was less than 4,000 megawatts due largely to gas constraints. We have limited gas molecules to supply to the power plants. This is as a result of many years of under-investment in gas gathering and processing for domestic consumption and also many years of gas flaring.”
He also hinted that Nigeria alone currently flares about half of 40 billion cubic meters of associated gas estimated to be flared in Africa yearly.”
On his part, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Odein Ajumogobia, said the low oil price gives Nigeria an opportunity to deploy its gas resources for industrialisation.
His words: “Nigeria has focused so much on petroleum and not on gas. The only gas component we have dealt with is the liquefied natural gas, which we also export. I am suggesting that we must now focus on our gas resources because that is the only way we can create massive employment for the teeming population of the unemployed people.”
Ajumogobia stressed that deploying gas for industrialisation is more than showing the political will by the present government.
Speaking in the same vein, President of NAEE, Prof. Wumi Iledare, said Nigeria must seize the momentum now that the price of crude is low to chart a new beginning for its industrial growth.
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12 Comments
When Buhari’s priority is insulting and threatening Niger Delta while protecting his murderous kinsmen, gas will never be available to fire up any desired development. Indeed the last we heard was the removal of local content and community interest in PIB bill before the Senate. Sane people should advocate for proper restructuring of Nigerian polity to enhance development and improved security.
It’s a shame that you’re more particular about the current president who in fairness has only being in power for less than 1 year but able to identify our situation critically. What was Jonathan’s position on the same issue for 6 years. The past is history, lets give the present every support and be vigilant. God bless Nigeria.
U never mentioned obj…why?
If Nigeria has lost thousands of innocent lives through the terrorist acts of Buhari’s kinsmen within 11 months (not 6 months) , only the Fulani will be left for the illiterate to rule in the next 3 years. Naira has crashed to its lowest value in the history of Nigeria, the Stock Exchange has lost investment values like never before within the same period, Banks have laid off more staff, petrol prices in record high levels. All these impacting on intolerable pains every Nigerian agrees with today. Only compound fools will think that illiteracy has a place in effective governance. Pity!
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GEJ has being voted out. it has being a year now. The last administration was bad, didn’t get the job done. what is the current one doing other than talking and traveling around the world. Nigerian’s have no fuel, no light, no road, no transport, expensive food, no education. stop talking and solve the problem.
Yes, you’re right. The country is going through quite a number of challenges however the present government has 4 years to prove to us if they deserve our votes. Yes, we have to be vigilant and raise our concerns but lets be firm and fair. Past government mismanagement will live with us for a while. Ask yourself how long does it take you to make changes in your life, ages? God help us.
Oga,the previous govt started a GAS CITY project aimed at harnessing the gas reserves,and distributing it to the most needed places,but because it was sited in Niger delta,the current administration has stopped it,see as long as this govt I more interested in propaganda than actually working,things will not get better.
I’m glad you call yourself voice of the future however your tone and statement are very opposite of what you call yourself. Now to address your point, if the previous govt. was sincere it shouldn’t take them 6 years to built gas city and moreover why playing with words. What is gas city? another dream without any realistic backing to the project. I can promise you today, if the project was a genuine one the minister for petroleum will not stop it. Therefore, put ethnicity aside, Nigeria can be great.
VP of excuses and i collect my salary once in a months and twelves months make a year
useless government. so you know the problem yet you haven’t done anything about it. Instead you are giving speeches about the problem rather than solving the problem. The solution lies in investing in gas processing, supplying the domestic market before any export and enforcing the no flaring law.
Thanks for your observation, at least you’ve come up with solutions, however your solutions came from the analysis of the problems. That’s is the process of problem solving. We have 4 years to make the right decision with our votes, that’s why democracy is a good thing.
We will review and take appropriate action.