Relief as NNPC restores Escravos-Lagos Pipeline

*Resumes gas supply

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC has said that its technical men have restored the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline (ELP), which came down last week as a result of a fire incident which disrupted gas supply to customers on the line including power generating companies.

The Daily Times recalls that the fire incident has since close to a week now, caused major challenges to electricity distribution in Niger Delta, Egbin- Lagos, leaving homes, offices and businesses in total darkness, with consequential financial losses to them and the nation’s economy.
But the electricity consumers are relieved as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which disclosed its ongoing repair works on Monday, said work on the pipeline followed the directive by the Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, to carry out an assessment of the damage with a view to getting a prompt solution.

The Daily Times also recalls that a section of the ELP at Abakila in Ondo State blew up in flames on January 2, 2018 as a result of what the authorities attributed to bush fire.

In a press statement issued by the Managing Director, Public Affairs, NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, the incident affected gas supply to customers in Ondo, Ogun and Lagos States with subsequent shutdown of a number of power plants in the areas.

The corporation said that with the restoration of the ELP and resumption of gas supply, the affected power plants with a combined generating capacity of 1,143MW, would resume power generation.

The power plants include: Egbin Power Plant in Lagos State; Olorunshogo Power Plant, Paras Power Plant in Ogun State; and Omotosho Power Plant in Ondo State.

The 36-inch Escravos to Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) is a natural gas pipeline built in 1989 to supply gas from Escravos in the Niger Delta to various consumption utilization areas.

It supplies gas to power plants in the South-West and also feeds the West African Gas Pipeline System.

The recent fire incident was a major setback for the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, as its Minister, Mr. Babatunde Fashola expressed upbeat that power generation in the country has for the first time ever, peaked at over 7,000 MW. This translate to potential growth in the Gross Domestic Product( GDP), as businesses and all other economic activities would receive a big boost.