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Tag: Power Plant

  • Katsina to establish independent power plant for domestic, industrial use

    Katsina to establish independent power plant for domestic, industrial use

    The Katsina state government has announced plans to partner with both foreign and indigenous companies to establish independent power plants for domestic and industrial use.

    Alhaji Abubakar Abdullah Matazu, the general manager of the State Rural Electricity Board, disclosed this to newsmen in Katsina.

    He stated that the power plant, once established, will generate electricity to ensure a constant power supply, benefiting both households and industrial growth.

    Matazu, who oversaw the ongoing installation of a hybrid solar-powered mini-grid at the Government House in Katsina, added that the solar power project is an immediate measure adopted by the Radda administration to address power outages and reduce diesel costs.

    He said: “Power outage has been compounding the effective service delivery, particularly at the general hospitals, hence the need for the state government to resort to the solar power system for uninterrupted service delivery to patients.”

    “The solar-powered project when installed would cover all the general hospitals across the state, public schools would also follow.

    ”Three primary health care centres in each of the thirty-four local governments are being connected with the solar power system.

    Read Also: JUST IN: One dies, two survive in Anambra road accident

    ”Already provisions for the provision of the solar system for the general hospitals were made in the supplementary budget passed by the state Assembly.”

    Conducting the general manager round the project site the sub-contractor, Technologist Abdullahi Bature assured a timely completion of the project as agreed.

    He said: ”One megawatt would be generated for Katsina government house while that of the general hospital would reach up to two hundred and fifty kilowatts.

    “The   two projects which served as a pilot one, would serve as an opener in ensuring constant power supply in the state.”

  • GE, Marinus Energy to build waste gas-to-power plant in Ghana

    GE Power and Marinus Energy has unveiled a pilot project to capture Isopentane gas to generate electricity.

    The Atuabo Waste-to-Power Independent Power Project will be the first in sub-Saharan Africa to use Isopentane gas, which will run on GE’s latest TM2500 gas turbines. The Isopentane gas would have been flared.

    Strategic Advisor of Marinus Energy, Mr. Fred Asamany, said: “Not only is the Atuabo waste-to-power plant enabling our company to lead in innovative energy solutions in Ghana, but by using a fuel source which would otherwise have been flared as waste, we are further reducing emissions and costs. This is good for our business, the climate and eliminates the potential environmental hazards facing the local community. GE is offering an innovative solution which gives us the confidence to move from pilot to commercial operations.”

    In the first phase, Atuabo will convert the Isopentane fuel into to about 25 megawatts (Mw), generating enough electricity to supply power to more than 100,000 Ghanaian households. As additional gas is brought onshore, the plant is expected to add about 100Mw. Additional Isopentane fuel will eventually be stripped off an offshore gas supply and processed at Atuabo by the Ghana National Gas Company. The gas turbine will start on lean gas and transfer to the Isopentane mix over time, and the power plant is intended to operate at base load throughout its life.

    “The TM2500 unit will provide unrivalled speed to deployment and flexibility to support the immediate needs of our customer – Marinus Energy, and then seamlessly transition to deliver capacity over the long term as they expand their operations,” said Leslie Nelson, Chief Executive Officer of GE’s Gas Power Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Atuabo project will add yet another TM2500 gas turbine to the existing fleet of ten units in the country earlier deployed in 2016,” Nelso added.

    With over 200 units deployed and over five million operating hours, GE’s TM2500 has proven flexibility can help bridge the power gap for short-and long-term energy planning, stabilise the grid, or reach and power remote locations.

    The TM2500 mobile power plant – a trailer-mounted gas turbine generator and containerised balance of plant – can be relocated to other power plants, and maintenance outages, or to remote areas.

    It can also achieve full power within 10 minutes, making it ideal for providing a base-load bridge to power installations or generating backup power for factories and industries.

    Last year, GE released several announcements reinforcing its commitments to strengthening the power sector in Ghana. The 400Mw Bridge power project will be the first LPG fired power plant in Africa and the largest LPG fired power plant in the world, while the 200Mw Amandi power plant will be one of the most efficient power plants in the country and will generate the power needed to supply more than one million Ghanaian homes.

    In addition, GE will set up an M&D (Monitoring and Diagnostics) centre in Ivory Coast which will provide the digital data and analytics service to improve the performance of GE equipment in the region.

  • Azura 450mw power plant on course, says Fashola

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has said the construction of the 450-megawatts (mw) Azura Independent Power Plant in Benin, Edo State is on course. He noted that the project is a proof of the Federal Government’s commitment to improving power generation and diversification.

    Fashola spoke during a visit to the plant. He said the power plant being built by Azura Power, a private developer and financier of Independent Power Plants (IPPs) across Africa, also showed a  “very clear intent” of the  President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to fulfilling his promise of improving power generation.

    The minister also said the project showed the government’s commitment “to do everything it can to enable the private sector to deliver on special projects, adding that the project was facing very many approval difficulties before Buhari came into office in 2015.

    Recalling his first visit to the project site, when the foundation was being laid, Fashola said between then and his visit, the Azura IPP and other  communities had transformed, adding that the communities which are providing water, food and all sorts of services to the workers, were experiencing a new life.

    Other benefits that have accrued to the communities as a result of the project include facelifts to the roads leading to the project, Fashola added, noting that even the road works the government was undertaking from the Benin-Agho Road was affected by the development as the drive time was shorter than when he first visited in 2016.

    Thanking the development partners, JV Siemens and Azura as a brand, for its commitment and belief in the nation’s economy, Fashola also noted that over 1,500 Nigerians had worked on the project.

    “But beyond the hard work, the economy, there are also jobs. You’ve seen people moving from one company to another. Some of the people I spoke to in the control room used to work with government, some with General Electric (GE), Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and others, still they moved here because there are new job opportunities, and more of this will come, without a doubt in my mind,” he added.

    ‘’When we started, I talked about incremental power, this is it, the minister said, expressing hope that the President would be there on completion of the project later this year to officially commission it and add it to the stock of power,’’ he said.

    He added that though work was yet to finish, the project was already generating power.

    “This is one of the power plants; Katsina will happen and so will Kashimbila and quite a lot of others at different levels. Some of them may not be too visible in terms of mini-grids, which are being installed in the villages and communities to increase access to electricity. So we mean business and we are moving,” Fashola added.

    The minister also visited the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) owned 460mw Ihovbor plant and the 330/132KV transmission substation evacuation facilities in Benin North being built under the National Integrated Power Plant (NIPP). The minister was told that although the two lines with 1,000mw carrying capacity, would not have the capacity to carry the power from Azura, the company was constructing another line from the Ihovbor transmission station to Benin North to join the line coming from Onitsha in order to carry the power generated by the Azura Plant.

    NDPHC Managing Director, Mr. Chiedu Ugbo, who conducted the Minister round the facility, said: “The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is building two new 330KV lines out of Benin North that will connect the station to the grid at Ajaokuta 330KV substation in Kogi State while NDPHC is also building a 330KV line out of Benin North that will connect the station to the grid at the two locations, namely the nearby Old Benin main substation and Onitsha 330/132KV substation in Anambra State.”

  • Cross River secures license for 528mw floating power plant

    Cross River secures license for 528mw floating power plant

    The National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) yesterday granted the Cross River State Government a power generation license for the construction of a 528MW floating power plant in the state.

    The license was handed over to a delegation from Cross River led by the state governor, Professor Ben Ayade in a brief ceremony at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

    The vice chairman  of the commission, Mr Sanusi Garba commended Governor Ayade for providing the enabling environment for investors to invest in the state.

    “I would like to commend Governor Ayade for providing the enabling environment for investors like MGIG to invest in power generation. Cross River is endowed with lots of natural resources which enables her to play a central role in the power sector”

    Also speaking during the license issuing ceremony, Governor Ben Ayade commended NERC for its capacity and professionalism while processing the license.

    “I thank the  management of NERC for its professionalism while processing this license considering that the last document in the application was submitted last year”

    Governor Ayade also used the opportunity to advocate for proper monitoring of DISCOS to ensure better service delivery.

    He said adequate supply of power is central to the industrialization policy of his administration and promised to assist NERC in carrying out its statutory functions.

    In his vote of thanks, a commissioner in the commission, Mr Dafe Akpeneye thanked Governor Ayade for his dynamism and charged state governments to assist NERC in the areas of safety and removal of buildings under high tension cables.

    According to Akpeneye, other areas his commission needs assistance include Customer enumeration, electricity theft and payment of bills.

  • Bello lauds FG over Geregu power plant

    Bello lauds FG over Geregu power plant

    Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi has commended the Federal Government and other stakeholders for the completion of three turbines power generation at Geregu Power Plant in the state.

    Bello gave the commendation at the 22nd Power Sector Monthly Meeting with power stakeholders and other participants held at Geregu Power Plc, Ajaokuta on Monday.

    The governor expressed his appreciation to the Minister of  Power, Works and Housing, the President and the Vice President for the good job they had been doing in the power sector.

    “Today, we are glad that there is a relative improvement in the power generation and transmission across Nigeria, especially in Kogi.

    “The Federal Government has virtually solved all the power problems but we need a little patience to identify the communities which do not have electricity in Kogi to install the required transformers.

    “I want to encourage investors to make enough investment in power distribution so that various communities at the grassroots in Kogi and Nigeria at large can begin to enjoy the benefits.

    “When we assumed office, we met a dispute regarding Kabba Power Transmission substation, but we immediately waded in and resolved the issues for the work to be completed.”

    The governor said that the state government had made efforts to reduce cases of reported and unreported kidnapping and armed robbery cases in the state.

    “Without adequate security, the power plant here will not be safe and we will not be talking about generation, transmission or distribution.

    “We have been supporting and equipping our security agencies to ensure that the contractors and their workers working on the roads are safe and secure,” he said.

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola said that the power production had reached an all-time high of over 7,000 megawatts in the nation.

    According to him, the ministry in collaboration with all the stakeholders has created a safe and more conducive environment to gain the confidence of investors in the power sector.

    “On December 8, we reached an all-time power production of 7,000 and a great peak supply of 5,155 Megawatts, which Nigeria has never produced or generated that much power into the grid.

    Read also: We are expecting additional 1,129 MW in 2018 – Fashola

    “The last supply was 5074 MW in January 2016, after which we went into a season of disruption of gas supply by militants.

    “It means that our policies and programmes are working, and we are also now able to evacuate substantially all of that power by transmission,” he said.

    Fashola expressed his gratitude to the government for paying the compensation that was militating against the development of the Kabba Transmission Sub-station.

    Mr Adeyemi Adenuga, the Managing Director, Generation, Geregu Power Plant, said that the plant was handed over to private company on Oct. 1, 2013.

    Adenuga said that the new owners had invested about 94 million dollars into the plant to bring it the present state.

    “Right now, we can successfully run three units (turbines) comfortably, effectively and efficiently. So, we hope that from this meeting, we will get the needed loads for our machine,” Adenuga said.

    Mr Otayitie Eminefo, the Special Adviser on Energy and Power to the governor, applauded the minister and stakeholders for their visit to the state.

    He appealed to stakeholders to give priority to electrification projects in the state.

    NAN

  • Senate begins oversight of Kaduna Power Plant

    The Senate Joint Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy and Gas will begin an on-the-spot assessment of the 215-Megawatt Kaduna Power Plant today.

    Co-Chairman of the committee and Chairman, Senate Committee on Gas, Bassey Akpan, spoke in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    Akpan said the Kaduna plant oversight was part of the committee’s investigation into alleged inconsistencies in the contract implementation of the facility and its failure to generate electricity.

    He said similar oversight would be conducted in other gas plants to ascertain their functionality.

    “We are doing an on-the-spot assessment of the plant on Monday (today) and we will also be visiting every other gas-producing facility across the country next week.

    “The revelations we have are quite disheartening. By the time we are done, and we do our final report, it will be an eye-opener on the rot in the power sector.

    “The minister will definitely be invited because he is not bigger than the Senate.

    “We will give another date by the time we are done with the site visits.”

    Akpan vowed that the committee will see to the end of the investigation, saying “if we must move forward as a country we must do the right thing”.

    The joint committee, at its investigative hearing on November 27, ordered that the planned commission be suspended for inconsistencies in contract implementation, pending conclusion of its investigation.

    The committee was dissatisfied with reasons given by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Mr Louis Edozie, who defended the change of parameters of the plant from a gas-powered to diesel-powered plant.

    The committee expressed reservation about the rationale behind converting the plant from gas-powered to diesel, which is more expensive, and expressed its displeasure with the discrepancies in contract figures presented by the ministry and the consultant.

    The Senate, on June 15, mandated the joint committee to investigate the Kaduna 215-Megawatt Power Plant’s failure to generate electricity.

    The project was approved in 2009 with an expected completion date of 2012.

  • NBET, Qua Iboe power plant sign 540mw power purchase agreement

    NBET, Qua Iboe power plant sign 540mw power purchase agreement

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola on Thursday presided over the signing of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between the new investors for the Qua lboe Power Plant Limited (“QIPP”) and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader Pic (‘NBET’)  for a 540MW gas-fired power plant.

    The project which is located in Akwa Ibom State is expected to raise power generation by 540MW by 2021.

    Besides, the government also approved a Put/Call Option Agreement (PCOA) the NBET and Ministry of Finance agreed with the project’s investors – the Qua Iboe Power Plant Limited (QIPP) which is jointly owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Black Rhino Group, and Dangote Group.

    The minister said that the pact was in line with the desire of the government to consistently grow Nigeria’s ability to provide stable electricity to its 180 million citizens, about 50 percent of who are yet to be connected to the country’s power grid.

    Following from this, the NBET and QIPP disclosed at the PPA signing ceremony in Abuja that work on the project which is expected to cost about $1.1 billion to complete, would commence as soon as a financial closure is achieved within the second quarter of 2018.

    They equally noted that Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) which initiated the power project with the NNPC as a fully equity funded structure, had sold its rights to develop it to the new investors – QIPP. MPN, however, has a 20-year gas sales agreement with the new investors to supply about 400 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscuf) of gas to the plant through an undersea gas line connected to its offshore oil production facility.

    Similarly, the parties indicated that Nigerian law firm, Banwo and Ighodalo was its transaction advisers and that QIPP would when completed become the lowest cost thermal plant in Nigeria due to what they said was its efficient combined-cycle design and competitive gas price.

    They stated that the plant will commence commercial operations in 2021, in addition to unlocking investments in power transmission infrastructure.

    QIPP, they added has also decided to build a 58 kilometres long transmission line to evacuate its output, but Fashola assured that the Ikot Ekpene to Ikot Abasi transmission line of the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs) would be ready to take power from the plant.

    Giving further details of the agreement reached, the Managing Director of NBET, Dr Marilyn Amobi, explained that once the investors achieve a financial closure, they would be expected to commence construction and subsequently expedite works to commission the plant within 18 to 24 months.

    Amobi noted that all the financial investments needed for the project would be provided by the shareholders and that all parties have agreed to its commercial and technical terms.

    “This will now go to the NERC who will now vet it as the regulator to be sure that issues and contract elements that we agreed to are in line with what should be, then they will approve before it goes to the Bureau of Public Procurement and then to the Ministry of Justice.

    “We are just starting that now because Mobil decided to have its shares go to Black Rhino, and then we had to review the documents again because the original project was fully equity funded but now the structure has changed and it will now be debt and equity,” said Amobi.

    Also in his remarks, the Chairman of Black Rhino, and Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, said the conclusion of the PPA and PCOA processes would give promoters of the project the confidence to accelerate their final investment decision (FID).

    He said parties were ready to mobilise funds, adding: “Within the next months, we will achieve a financial closure to bring in about $1.2 billion worth of direct investment into Nigeria. QIPP will utilise Nigeria’s gas resources to increase our electricity generation capacity and reduce the cost of power.”

  • Egbin power plant records 819 days incident-free operation

    Nigeria’s largest power generating plant, Egbin Power Plc, has recorded 819 days of incident-free operation as at August 30, 2017, it was learnt.

    The Nation, during a visit to the plant, observed that as at the period the plant worked without lost time accident while safety audit has been carried out three times with 451 staff and one near miss. On the same date, the plant was generating 599 megawatts (Mw) of electricity. A breakdown of the generation showed that two of the six steam turbines (ST) the plant has, ST1 and ST3 were not producing. STs 2, 4, 5 and 6 were producing 175Mw, 203Mw, 110Mw, and 111Mw respectively.

    The company’s Chairman, Kola Adesina, who during a chat with reporters in Lagos, said safety standards and procedures at Egbin Power Plc have helped the plant to record incident-free operations over the last 827 days.

    Adesina said the power plant operates in line with globally acclaimed standards for Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) and requires members of staff and stakeholders to abide by its zero tolerance policy on safety infractions.

    “Since we took over the plant in 2013 we have continued to enhance the plant’s HSSE profile through investments in safety equipment and training. For us at Egbin, ensuring safety at all cost is a non-negotiable policy and we are delighted with the progress we have made in this regard and it gives us the impetus to sustain ongoing transformation and preparation for future expansion of the plant.”

    He said Egbin’s safety records had been severally commended by various post-privatisation monitoring team and other regulatory agencies following inspection visits. “At Egbin, every staff is a Safety Ambassador. We demand the same level of commitment from all our partners and stakeholders and remain confident that HSSE issues will always be paramount in our operations.”

    He also noted the importance of collaboration across the sector’s value chain, adding that it would help operators and regulators effectively address the challenges of the power sector.

    “What we need right now is generation, transmission and distribution, working together to achieve the ultimate goal of improved power supply. We have witnessed continuing improvement across the value chain and we need to keep up the momentum and close our ranks where we have gaps to drive better power supply. Issues bordering on un-utilised energy, load shedding and optimised load picking can be better managed by the operators to ensure the system maintains a balance that enhances productivity and sustainability.

    “We should all work as partners in the power sector as the nation is counting on us to make the system work. At Egbin, we remain committed to spearheading intra and inter sectoral collaborative efforts to move the power sector ahead. This will require the support of the government, regulators, operators, local/foreign investors, electricity consumers and civil societies,” he added.

    He pointed out the need for the sector to address and correct the price differential between the actual cost of electricity and current price regimes. “Another important factor that is responsible for the high price of electricity is the lack of conservation. It is imperative for the sector to embark on sustained advocacy and awareness campaigns that will encourage people to embrace conservation and shun energy theft as well as illegal connections,“he said.

    He commended the Ministry of Power, regulators and operators for ongoing deliberations aimed at moving the sector forward while acknowledging government’s ongoing massive investments to ensure that power generated gets to end-users.

    “All hands are on deck to ensure regular power supply to Nigerians and I have no doubt that the power sector will record fast paced improvement in our quest for sustainable power with more investments which can only be driven by the right policies, pricing and personnel,” he added.

  • I’ll build power plant, Jegede assures

    I’ll build power plant, Jegede assures

    The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) has promised to tackle the erratic power supply to the state by building a power plant.

    He gave the assurance during his tour of communities in Owo Local Government and the four local councils that constitute Akokoland.

    Jegede, who was received by traditional rulers cutting across 30 communities in Akokoland, said his focus was to transform Ondo’s economy by creating enabling environment for big industries.

    “Our youths are in need of jobs and how do they get the jobs? We need industries and how can the industries work? They need regular power supply.

    “That is why we will build a gas plant that will energise our power plant which will provide electricity for the various industries that we are planning to set up through private-partnership participation.”

    He urged communities in need of various amenities to be rest assured that their needs would be met as he had designed his economic blueprint for the development of all areas in Ondo State.

     

     

     

    At Ikare-Akoko, Jegede who was received by the Olukare of Ikare, Oba Akadiri Momoh and his subjects, said the deplorable condition of federal roads in Akoko land would form his priority once he is elected in the November 26 governorship election

  • Attack on pipeline cripples 600Mw power plant

    • N470m ‘lost daily’

    The weekend attack on Nigeria Gas Company (NGC’s) pipeline connected to Chevron Nigeria Limited’s facility at Escravos, will impact negatively on the 600megawatts (Mw) capacity Olorunsogo National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) plant  and others.

    In a statement endorsed by the Special Adviser on Communications to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing,  Mr. Hakeem Bello,  explained that the sabotaged gas pipeline which contributes to the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) has led to a loss of 160million standard cubic feet of gas daily (mmsfcd) of gas.

    The statement noted that at a cost of $2.50 per thousand standard cubic feet (scf), this translates to a loss of about $400,000 to the country on a daily basis (N78,800,000 daily) in gas volume.

    It expalied that this is in addition to losses to be incurred daily from affected power generation ($1,988,223 or N391,680,000 daily). The total daily loss to the country is therefore estimated at N470,479,931. Repairs of the damaged pipeline is estimated as costing ($609,137 or N120,000.000).

    The real sector of the economy has been counting its losses as some cement companies around Olorunsogo such as Ewekoro and Ibese are affected.

    The latest incident occurred just as the Federal Government through the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources along with other agencies, has been making efforts to improve gas supplies to power plants. The efforts led to previously offline plants such as Ihovbor and Sapele coming back on stream and subsequent output  making up for the loss in power.