Yemisi Izuora
Nigeria has suffered multiple losses through massive disruption to gas and electricity supplies following last weekend’s attacks on the Nigerian Gas Company’s gas pipeline by suspected militants.
Government authorities claims the attack on the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) connected to Chevron Nigeria Limited’s gas network at Escravos negatively impacted on the 600 mega watts (MW) Olorunsogo National Integrated Power Plant and other critical power projects in the region.
The immediate impact of the sabotage on the gas facility, according to the Federal Ministry of Power, has been the disruption in the sale and supply of 160 million metres standard cubic feet per day (MMSCD) of gas to operators of electricity generation facilities and a cut in electricity supply from the affected power plants.
Already a massive manhunt for the culprits by security operatives has intensified to determine the motive behind the sabotage.
Government computation on the extent of loss showed that at about $2.50 per thousand standard cubic feet of gas, the country was suffering an estimated $400,000 (about N78.8 million) loss daily through the inability to meet its gas supply obligations to its customers.
The loss does not include about $1,988,223 (about N391.7 million) lost daily by operators of the affected power generation plants for not supplying electricity to their customers.