• Egbin Power Plant Records 819 Days Incident-free Operation

Nigeria’s largest power generating plant, Egbin Power Plc, has recorded 819 days of incident-free operation as at August 30, 2017, investigation revealed.

Checks revealed that as at the period the plant worked without lost time accident while safety audit has been carried out three times with 451 staff and one near miss. On the same date, the plant was generating 599 megawatts (Mw) of electricity. A breakdown of the generation showed that two of the six steam turbines (ST) the plant has, ST1 and ST3 were not producing. STs 2, 4, 5 and 6 were producing 175Mw, 203Mw, 110Mw, and 111Mw respectively.

The company’s Chairman, Kola Adesina, who during a chat with reporters in Lagos, said safety standards and procedures at Egbin Power Plc have helped the plant to record incident-free operations over the last 827 days.

Adesina said the power plant operates in line with globally acclaimed standards for Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) and requires members of staff and stakeholders to abide by its zero tolerance policy on safety infractions.

“Since we took over the plant in 2013 we have continued to enhance the plant’s HSSE profile through investments in safety equipment and training. For us at Egbin, ensuring safety at all cost is a non-negotiable policy and we are delighted with the progress we have made in this regard and it gives us the impetus to sustain ongoing transformation and preparation for future expansion of the plant.”

He said Egbin’s safety records had been severally commended by various post-privatisation monitoring team and other regulatory agencies following inspection visits. “At Egbin, every staff is a Safety Ambassador. We demand the same level of commitment from all our partners and stakeholders and remain confident that HSSE issues will always be paramount in our operations.”

He also noted the importance of collaboration across the sector’s value chain, adding that it would help operators and regulators effectively address the challenges of the power sector.

“What we need right now is generation, transmission and distribution, working together to achieve the ultimate goal of improved power supply. We have witnessed continuing improvement across the value chain and we need to keep up the momentum and close our ranks where we have gaps to drive better power supply. Issues bordering on un-utilised energy, load shedding and optimised load picking can be better managed by the operators to ensure the system maintains a balance that enhances productivity and sustainability.

“We should all work as partners in the power sector as the nation is counting on us to make the system work. At Egbin, we remain committed to spearheading intra and inter sectoral collaborative efforts to move the power sector ahead. This will require the support of the government, regulators, operators, local/foreign investors, electricity consumers and civil societies,” he added.

He pointed out the need for the sector to address and correct the price differential between the actual cost of electricity and current price regimes. “Another important factor that is responsible for the high price of electricity is the lack of conservation. It is imperative for the sector to embark on sustained advocacy and awareness campaigns that will encourage people to embrace conservation and shun energy theft as well as illegal connections,“he said.

He commended the Ministry of Power, regulators and operators for ongoing deliberations aimed at moving the sector forward while acknowledging government’s ongoing massive investments to ensure that power generated gets to end-users.

“All hands are on deck to ensure regular power supply to Nigerians and I have no doubt that the power sector will record fast paced improvement in our quest for sustainable power with more investments which can only be driven by the right policies, pricing and personnel,” he added.