FG Attributes Power Disruptions in Five States to Gas Shortages, Recovers 44 Containers of Abandoned Equipment

The Federal Government has attributed recent electricity supply disruptions in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Kwara and Oyo states to gas shortages, maintenance challenges and reduced output from hydroelectric power stations.

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, acknowledged the complaints from electricity consumers, noting that the affected areas had recently experienced improvements in supply before the latest disruptions.

According to the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants and reduced water inflows into hydroelectric reservoirs have constrained electricity generation, resulting in lower allocations to distribution companies and increased load shedding across their networks.

Electricity allocation data showed that the 11 distribution companies received a combined 2,926 megawatts as of 4:41 p.m. on Thursday, November 5. Abuja Electricity Distribution Company received the highest allocation of 633MW, while Yola Disco received the lowest at 74MW.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has facilitated the clearance of 44 containers of abandoned electricity equipment from Apapa ports in Lagos, out of more than 300 containers that had remained stranded, some since 2014.

Tegbe said the clearance followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive after the Federal Executive Council meeting, instructing the Ministry of Power to work with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority to resolve outstanding charges and other issues delaying the release of the equipment.

He explained that technical experts would inspect the recovered equipment to identify serviceable items for deployment to ongoing electricity projects, while unusable materials would be appropriately disposed of.

The development forms part of the government’s efforts to recover abandoned power infrastructure and address challenges affecting electricity generation and supply.

The Federal Government’s response comes amid continued concerns over unreliable electricity supply, with the effectiveness of the intervention expected to depend on the successful recovery and deployment of usable equipment and improvements in gas supply and hydroelectric generation.