NNPC pens gas-to-power deal
Nigerian national oil company NNPC plans to cooperate with local power plant operator Egbin on gas-to-power initiatives, the companies said on June 15.
Nigeria wants to expand gas-fired power generation to phase out dirtier fuels such as coal and diesel, capitalise on its gas reserves and bring down energy costs. The two companies pledged to cooperate during a visit by NNPC to Egbin's 1,320-MW gas-fired thermal power plant in Lagos, the largest private run facility of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Egbin was acquired by Korea Electric Power Corp and Nigerian conglomerate Sahara Group during a privatisation sale in 2013. NNPC's chief operating officer, Yusuf Usman, said the power plant's revamp since then was "very impressive." At the time of the takeover, the plant was working at just 300 MW or 22% of its capacity.
"We have seen turbines that have been running for over 40 years and still performing optimally through the efforts of Egbin management and employees to achieve a turnaround at the plant through overhaul of the entire system," he said. "This is a huge plus for the privatisation exercise and positions Egbin to play a leading role as we work towards energy transition using gas which is a clean fuel that we have in abundance in Nigeria."
The Egbin plant is set to undergo an expansion that will add an extra 1,750-1,900 MW of generation capacity.