Niger Delta Group Blames NGC Over Poor Gas Supply

WARRI, DELTA March 29, (THEWILL) - The Niger Delta Peace Coalition has faulted the statement credited to the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr Mohammed Barkindo, that the nation lacked enough thermal plants to produce gas for power supply in the country.

In a statement obtained by THEWILL, signed by its National Coordinator, Zik Gbemre, the group argued that the problem in the country’s energy sector was the inability of Nigerian Gas Company, NGC, a subsidiary of the NNPC, to provide the needed infrastructure to transport gas and not the absence of thermal plants as stated by the NNPC boss.

It regretted that the NGC lacked relevant expertise to manage the nation’s abundant natural gas reserve due to poor management in the oil sector, noting that there were thermal stations in Sapele, Egbin, Afam and other places, but that the challenge had been how to transport gas from the field to the existing thermal stations.

According to the group, "though the NNPC chief explained that there were constraints in gas supply to some of the thermal power stations, ranging from pipeline vandalism to security problems, the fact remains that the major challenge to effective power generation in the country was non-availability of power stations to use the said 400mmct/d that is stranded in various gas projects in the country."