Nigerians To Experience A Week Of Blackout

Nigerians will experience a week-long electricity
rationing that will put the country into darkness for the
period. This will be the longest period in recent years
that the country would be faced with blackout.

The development is coming few days after the Federal
Government declared that its hand-over of the assets
and facilities of PHCN including generation and
distribution plants to private firms was successful.

The authorities had explained that the problem was
due to the loss of 400 megawatts following repair
works being carried out by the Shell Petroleum
Development Company (SPDC), the major suppliers of
gas to the power plants particularly Afam VI Power
plant.

The management of Transmission Company of Nigeria
(TCN) in a statement in Abuja yesterday said there
would be a reduction in generation output by 400mw,
from today to Saturday, November 9, 2013. According
to the statement, “this is due to the Shell Petroleum
Development Company’s (SPDC) scheduled
maintenance work on Okoloma gas plant supplying
gas to Afam VI Power Plant, thereby leading to the
shutdown of the power plant, resulting in nationwide
power rationing.”

It explained further that the shutdown of Afam VI
power plant became necessary to allow SPDC inspect
and carry out routine maintenance work on the
Okoloma natural gas station in Afam, Rivers State, to
ensure its technical integrity.

“Maintenance work on Okoloma gas plant, SPDC
revealed was important to guarantee continuous and
uninterrupted supply of gas to Afam VI for power
generation into the national grid.”