Gas Shortage Causes Electricity Supply Drop in Anambra

FirstPow Electric Distribution Company has issued a statement explaining the recent decline in electricity supply across Anambra State, attributing it to a nationwide gas shortage that is impacting the entire Nigerian electricity sector. Izuuna Okafor, the company's head of communications, clarified that the electricity distribution company operates at the final stage of the electricity value chain and does not generate power.

The Nigerian electricity system consists of three segments: generation, transmission, and distribution. The company noted that the recent significant reduction in electricity generation is due to a severe shortage of natural gas, which is crucial for thermal power plants that produce the majority of the electricity on the national grid.

This situation has been exacerbated by disruptions caused by an explosion on the Escravos Lagos gas pipeline in December of the previous year. Currently, the average daily allocation for the four major transmission interface stations in Anambra has dropped drastically from 164.66 megawatts to approximately 74.13 megawatts, representing a shortfall of 90 megawatts.

Consequently, FirstPow has introduced load management systems to ration electricity supply across communities.