Amidst the scarcity of premium motor spirit across the country and harsh weather conditions, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company Plc (AEDC) admitted Friday that there is a poor power supply in the Federal Capital Territory.
Admitting also that the poor supply is also being witnessed in Kogi, Niger, and Nasarawa, the utility company blamed the development on low power generated to the National Grid.
This is coming at a time when most electricity users in the country are made to pay for an increased tariff under the Service-Based Tariff, which was introduced with the promise of an improved power supply.
Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, who earlier spoke in Abuja had admitted that the country is experiencing challenges with electricity generation.
“I would like to discuss the increased load shedding you may have observed in Abuja and other areas in the country. With the reduction in Hydro capacity during the dry season additional load needs to be taken up by our Gas plants,” Aliyu said.
“We are having maintenance work in the Eastern Axis around Odukpani leading to reduced power supply from the usually reliable NDPHC Calabar Power Plant and we are having challenges at Okoloma Gas Station linked to Afam VI power plant.
“We are working with NNPC and other Gas suppliers also to improve the pressure on the Western Axis that is precluding units from reaching optimum supply. These challenges are surmountable, and we have a 3-pronged approach we are executing… we have short-term solutions as well as long-term solutions. We are working assiduously to resolve short-term load-shedding challenges.”
The Chief Marketing Officer at AEDC, Donald Etim, noted that in recent weeks, the level of power generated and served to the national grid for onward delivery to customers has been abysmally low.
Stating that the company was doing everything possible to equitable distribution in the face of low power, Etim said the company would be committed to modest supply in such a way that a fair cross-section of customers are served.
“we are deeply committed to ensuring that we work collaboratively with other stakeholders within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) to identify and resolve the challenges within the sector. The root causes of this latest low generation have been identified and are being addressed,” Etim said.
