‘Allotting power to Niger Republic caused drop in supply to Kano’

Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has attributed the drop in electricity supply to the wheeling of 15 megawatts of the 50MW allocated to it to Gazoua in Niger Republic as part of Nigeria’s bilateral agreement with the country.

The company’s Chief Technical Officer, David Omoloye, also explained that the strike action embarked by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has further worsened the situation.

He noted that the industrial action had caused all the six gas thermal stations, which generate at least 80 per cent of daily electricity in Nigeria to be out of supply, leaving the country with power generation from hydro power plants.

A statement by the spokesperson of KEDCO, Mohammed Kandy, said that the company was given 50 MW from the national grid to supply its electricity consumers in the franchise area of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.

However, because of Nigeria’s bilateral trade with Niger Republic 30 per cent of the mega watt allotted to KEDCO was wheeled to Niger Republic and this has caused drop in power supply.

The statement said: “As a highly customer-centric electricity distributor, it is our responsibility to keep all our esteemed customers well informed about latest developments in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) so as to bridge the knowledge gap and achieve customer intimacy at all times.”

The statement further assured its customers that normal power supply would be restored soon, as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to address the situation.