The management of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Sunday, clarified the power blackout recorded recently by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, better known as Eko DisCo, and Aba Power Ltd.
Recall that media reports were attributing the blackout to the alleged inability of NDPHC to supply gas to fire its 10 plants.
But NDPHC in a statement issued by its Media Adviser, Mr. Adesanya Adejokun, in Abuja, said the blackout, which was resolved on Monday contrary to Tuesday being peddled, was caused by the scheduled maintenance of gas facilities conducted by its suppliers.
“It is important to clarify that the power outage was promptly resolved by Monday morning, refuting the erroneous claim that it extended until Tuesday. Furthermore, it is essential to address that the outage was a direct result of scheduled maintenance on gas facilities conducted by our suppliers. This maintenance activity had a temporary impact on our operations, contributing to the temporary disruption in the power supply.
“On the morning of August 6, 2023, NDPHC received immediate instructions from the Nigeria Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC) at approximately 08:25 hours to initiate a shutdown. This directive was prompted by ongoing maintenance work being conducted at NGIC’s Gas facilities. Regrettably, this maintenance work led to a significant reduction
in the available gas quantity, reaching as low as 13MMscf.
“This quantity proved insufficient to adequately fuel our Gas turbine, which boasts a capacity of 125MW (ISO rating). Adding to these unforeseen circumstances, the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN) also communicated with NDPHC around 10:30 hours on the same day, August 6, 2023.
“Their notification outlined the challenges faced in gas supply along the Western axis pipeline. This pipeline is vital as it supplies gas to five of our power plants. These supply difficulties arose due to the ongoing maintenance efforts undertaken by Seplat and CNL, our esteemed gas suppliers.
“The culmination of these events critically impacted gas pressure, ultimately necessitating the shutdown of all our power plants. We acknowledge the complex and interconnected nature of these challenges, and we are actively engaged with our partners to expedite the resolution of these issues and restore regular operations.
“Nevertheless, on the 7th of August 2023, NDPHC’s Omotosho Power Plant achieved synchronization with the grid, precisely at 07:47 and 08:04 hours. These actions were undertaken following explicit instructions and approvals received from the National Control Centre (NCC) and NGC, respectively.
“A thorough review of the NCC’s daily load allocation table for the 8th of August 2023 underscores NDPHC’s unwavering commitment to meet its contractual obligations.
“Specifically, we have consistently fulfilled our responsibilities in supplying EKEDC and APLE with the stipulated electricity capacities as delineated in the Power Purchase
Agreement (PPA). It is essential to highlight that in addition to the bilateral power purchase agreements established with NDPHC, both Eko DisCo and Aba Power are recipients of routine allocations directly from the national grid.
“This diversified allocation strategy ensures that their operational continuity remains intact, even during the limited duration when NDPHC’s supply was momentarily disrupted due to circumstances beyond our control. This multifaceted approach safeguards against any complete interruption in their operations during the few hours when NDPHC’s supply was temporarily affected.
“Exemplifying our steadfast commitment to professionalism, we uphold this principle as a fundamental cornerstone of our organizational ethos. It consistently governs our operational paradigms and informs the tenor of our interactions with esteemed customers. In this context, we reiterate our earnest call to the esteemed members of the Fourth Estate to approach their reportage with a spirit of diligence.
“We extend an open invitation for them to engage in the practice of thorough fact-checking by liaising directly with us whenever circumstances warrant the coverage of stories about our company”, he said.
Adejokun, however, demanded a retraction of the story, arguing that the report was fraught with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions that mischaracterize the facts about the subject matter.
He said: “In the light of the above, we formally demand a retraction or, at the very least, the publication of a rejoinder regarding the recent news article under consideration. We have carefully reviewed the content of the article and find several inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions that mischaracterize the facts about the subject matter”.
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