Reviving old power plants: Lessons from Egbin Thermal Station
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L-R: Shuaibu Maigida, coordinator, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and Foluseke Somolu, senior special assistant to the president on Power sector reforms at a Power function in Lagos.
Simon Atakulu, chief executive officer of the largest gas fired power plant in the country, the Egbin Thermal Station, last year told Fatimah Ibrahim, minister of State for Energy (power) that only two turbines out of the six turbines in the station were in working condition.
According to him, units three and six were no longer in working condition due to the use of the bad Lagos lagoon water to cool the turbines by the past management.
He also disclosed that units one and five were undergoing turn around maintenance, while only units two and four were generating electricity.
The station’s chief executive, however, assured the minister that rehabilitation works would commence on units three and six this month. Although, in house sources disclosed to BusinessDay that the Federal Government spends over N2 billion yearly on the maintenance of Egbin Power Station, the largest gas-fired power plant in the country.
This figure includes a total of N5 million spent daily on low pour fuel oil used to feed the turbines.
Energy experts have however, alleged that mismanagement of the nation’s power infrastructure over the past 30 years, led to the collapse of the country’s power sector.
It was alleged for instance, that the late Sani Abacha administration continuously voted the sum of N6 billion yearly for five years for the power sector without actually applying this fund to the sector.
It was also alleged that the Kainji Hydro-power Station did not undergo any maintenance for more than 20 years. It was the same situation at Egbin, Afam, Sapele, Jebba and Shiroro.
In fact, the present rot at the Egbin thermal station, a 1,320 megawatts-capacity plant built in Lagos, is seen by observers, as a clear manifestation of the level of havoc management actions or inactions can wreck on a power plant, no matter the level of installed technology.
Egbin, Nigeria’s largest steam driven plant, built and commissioned for operations in 1978, has over the years, experienced operational problems, which many believe emanates from management lapses.
The expected normal rated output of the 1,320 mw-capacity generating plant is between 1,100 and 1,200 megwatts of electricity, but current available capacity is reportedly below 700 megawatts.
However, the additional output in generation, each time a maintenance exercise is carried out at Egbin, has shown that the country stands to save time and huge revenue in reviving old power plants, instead of embarking on the construction of new ones.
Globally, power plants are said to be old at the ages of between 36 and 45, and below this age, the plants are said to be mature.
At the age of 29 years, Egbin Thermal Station and other power generating plants in the country, therefore are just mature plants and can efficiently run their normal rated output.
It takes at least three years to construct an average power plant, while the cost of generating one megwatt of electricity is put at approximately $1 million.
The government of former president Olusegun Obasanjo spent $9.63 billion (N1.3 trillion) between 1999 and 2007 in the power sector, and only ended up raising the generation level from 1,500 megawatts to 3,000megawatts.
Unfortunately, the national demand was around 10, 000 megawatts during the same period.
The Obasanjo administration equally embarked on the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) under which a sum of $2.5 billion was expected to be spent.
Under this scheme, the government embarked on the construction of power plants in the Niger Delta region, as part of the palliatives to address the problem of infrastructure and youth restiveness in the gas-rich region.
The NIPP is made up of the 451mw Gbarian Power station in Bayelsa State; 230mw Ihovbor station in Edo State, the 230mw Gas Thermal station at Omoku, Rivers State and the Sapele 451mw power station in Delta State.
Others are: the Egbema 338 mw power station in Imo State; the Calabar 561mw station in Cross River State and the 188 mw Ibom Power plant in Akwa Ibom State.
The government also built a N37.1 billion Gas Thermal Station at Papalanto, Ogun State, designed to produce 335 mw of electricity and another 335 mw Omotosho Gas thermal station worth N37 billion.
Today, these power projects are estimated to cost $16.050 billion (N2.022 trillion). The power projects to be funded include the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) estimated at $4.1 billion (N516.6 billion), Mambila Hydro Plant - $3.2 billion (N403.2-billion), Chevron Agura 780MW - $750 million (N94.5-billion) and 20 Licensed Independent Power Plants (IPP) - $8 billion (N1.0-trillion).
Experts say, even if these projects are successfully funded, there is no guarantee they will generate the rated capacity.
This is because despite former president Obasanjo’s promises on the power plants, not a few experts have also complained about the quality of the jobs the Chinese handlers are doing.
Again, the 414 Geregu power station, built by Siemens at a cost of N34 billion and expected to be producing 114mw, was shut for non-availability of gas.
It is therefore imperative that government explore the option of reviving the existing power stations to save time and revenue.
Goddy Duru-Oguzie, managing director and chief executive officer of PowTechnologies Limited is one of the advocates of this line of thinking.
He predicts that if the government rehabilitates Egbin and Sapele power stations, there will be a guarantee of additional 1,000 megawatts within six months, in addition to huge savings that will accrue to the government.
It is expected that the government will save over $5 billion when consideration is given to the cost of generating 1megawatt of electricity, which is estimated at $1 million.
The position of experts therefore, is that government should embark on comprehensive life extension programmes for the steam-driven power stations. They say this measure will raise the rated capacity to over 1,000mw, in addition to 400-500mw from Egbin.
Analysts also suggest that government should re-equip the power plant utilities laboratory in all Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) steam driven plants.
This, they insist, will enable the laboratory determine corrosion tendencies and other unwanted contaminants in vital sections of the plants to enable remedial action.
It has also been suggested that the management of power plants should deploy use of globally endorsed performance based all volatile filming amine synthesized corrosion inhibitors to effect perfect protection against corrosion.
Experts have argue that management of power plants should institute through training, an in-house condition assessment team, fully equipped to enable sustenance of high level of plant availability.
The nation’s old power stations should also be overhauled and re-engineered, especially the entire pre-treatment and cooling water process plants, to make them function efficiently.
Instead of embarking on the construction of new power plants, government should rehabilitate the existing power stations in the country.
He also disclosed that units one and five were undergoing turn around maintenance, while only units two and four were generating electricity.
The station’s chief executive, however, assured the minister that rehabilitation works would commence on units three and six this month. Although, in house sources disclosed to BusinessDay that the Federal Government spends over N2 billion yearly on the maintenance of Egbin Power Station, the largest gas-fired power plant in the country.
This figure includes a total of N5 million spent daily on low pour fuel oil used to feed the turbines.
Energy experts have however, alleged that mismanagement of the nation’s power infrastructure over the past 30 years, led to the collapse of the country’s power sector.
It was alleged for instance, that the late Sani Abacha administration continuously voted the sum of N6 billion yearly for five years for the power sector without actually applying this fund to the sector.
It was also alleged that the Kainji Hydro-power Station did not undergo any maintenance for more than 20 years. It was the same situation at Egbin, Afam, Sapele, Jebba and Shiroro.
In fact, the present rot at the Egbin thermal station, a 1,320 megawatts-capacity plant built in Lagos, is seen by observers, as a clear manifestation of the level of havoc management actions or inactions can wreck on a power plant, no matter the level of installed technology.
Egbin, Nigeria’s largest steam driven plant, built and commissioned for operations in 1978, has over the years, experienced operational problems, which many believe emanates from management lapses.
The expected normal rated output of the 1,320 mw-capacity generating plant is between 1,100 and 1,200 megwatts of electricity, but current available capacity is reportedly below 700 megawatts.
However, the additional output in generation, each time a maintenance exercise is carried out at Egbin, has shown that the country stands to save time and huge revenue in reviving old power plants, instead of embarking on the construction of new ones.
Globally, power plants are said to be old at the ages of between 36 and 45, and below this age, the plants are said to be mature.
At the age of 29 years, Egbin Thermal Station and other power generating plants in the country, therefore are just mature plants and can efficiently run their normal rated output.
It takes at least three years to construct an average power plant, while the cost of generating one megwatt of electricity is put at approximately $1 million.
The government of former president Olusegun Obasanjo spent $9.63 billion (N1.3 trillion) between 1999 and 2007 in the power sector, and only ended up raising the generation level from 1,500 megawatts to 3,000megawatts.
Unfortunately, the national demand was around 10, 000 megawatts during the same period.
The Obasanjo administration equally embarked on the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) under which a sum of $2.5 billion was expected to be spent.
Under this scheme, the government embarked on the construction of power plants in the Niger Delta region, as part of the palliatives to address the problem of infrastructure and youth restiveness in the gas-rich region.
The NIPP is made up of the 451mw Gbarian Power station in Bayelsa State; 230mw Ihovbor station in Edo State, the 230mw Gas Thermal station at Omoku, Rivers State and the Sapele 451mw power station in Delta State.
Others are: the Egbema 338 mw power station in Imo State; the Calabar 561mw station in Cross River State and the 188 mw Ibom Power plant in Akwa Ibom State.
The government also built a N37.1 billion Gas Thermal Station at Papalanto, Ogun State, designed to produce 335 mw of electricity and another 335 mw Omotosho Gas thermal station worth N37 billion.
Today, these power projects are estimated to cost $16.050 billion (N2.022 trillion). The power projects to be funded include the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) estimated at $4.1 billion (N516.6 billion), Mambila Hydro Plant - $3.2 billion (N403.2-billion), Chevron Agura 780MW - $750 million (N94.5-billion) and 20 Licensed Independent Power Plants (IPP) - $8 billion (N1.0-trillion).
Experts say, even if these projects are successfully funded, there is no guarantee they will generate the rated capacity.
This is because despite former president Obasanjo’s promises on the power plants, not a few experts have also complained about the quality of the jobs the Chinese handlers are doing.
Again, the 414 Geregu power station, built by Siemens at a cost of N34 billion and expected to be producing 114mw, was shut for non-availability of gas.
It is therefore imperative that government explore the option of reviving the existing power stations to save time and revenue.
Goddy Duru-Oguzie, managing director and chief executive officer of PowTechnologies Limited is one of the advocates of this line of thinking.
He predicts that if the government rehabilitates Egbin and Sapele power stations, there will be a guarantee of additional 1,000 megawatts within six months, in addition to huge savings that will accrue to the government.
It is expected that the government will save over $5 billion when consideration is given to the cost of generating 1megawatt of electricity, which is estimated at $1 million.
The position of experts therefore, is that government should embark on comprehensive life extension programmes for the steam-driven power stations. They say this measure will raise the rated capacity to over 1,000mw, in addition to 400-500mw from Egbin.
Analysts also suggest that government should re-equip the power plant utilities laboratory in all Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) steam driven plants.
This, they insist, will enable the laboratory determine corrosion tendencies and other unwanted contaminants in vital sections of the plants to enable remedial action.
It has also been suggested that the management of power plants should deploy use of globally endorsed performance based all volatile filming amine synthesized corrosion inhibitors to effect perfect protection against corrosion.
Experts have argue that management of power plants should institute through training, an in-house condition assessment team, fully equipped to enable sustenance of high level of plant availability.
The nation’s old power stations should also be overhauled and re-engineered, especially the entire pre-treatment and cooling water process plants, to make them function efficiently.
Instead of embarking on the construction of new power plants, government should rehabilitate the existing power stations in the country.
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