Nigeria In Darkness Due To Pipeline Vandalism, Transmission Failure

Recent attacks on crude oil and gas pipelines may have signaled the end of the honeymoon enjoyed by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari with respect to pipeline vandalism. This has ushered in a period of darkness witnessed in recent weeks, as vandalism of gas pipelines disrupted supply of feedstock to gas-fired power generating plants, which account for over 78 per cent of power supply in the country, ThisDay reports.



The situation had worsened last Thursday when the whole country was plunged into darkness due to a nationwide system collapse. The Chief Executive Officer of one of the electricity distribution companies (Discos) told ThisDay that during last Thursday’s system disturbance, the 11 distribution companies were only “on station supply” where they could not service their customers. He also blamed the weak transmission network for the country’s current power woes, saying that only a super grid would solve the country’s transmission challenges.

Furthermore, the production deferment caused by vandalism of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline, which is operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), belongs to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and which also accounts for 40-50 per cent of the country’s gas production led to the current drop in power generation.
(Source: ENERGY MIX REPORT)