President Tinubu has broken ground on the first phase of the 1.35 gigawatt Gwagwalada Independent Power Plant (GIPP) project in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) is developing Phase One of the project. The first phase will have a 350MW capacity. This is one of the NNPC flagship power projects along the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline corridor. Along with the 900MW Kaduna and 1.3GW Kano power projects, it is part of a cumulative capacity of 3.6GW currently in development.
Being a combined cycle gas-fired power plant, the Gwagwalada project will be built on 547 hectares of land in Abuja. This will take place in three phases. Each phase will include three powertrain blocks with 450MW of power-generating capacity. Also, each block will be powered by two General Electric GT13E2 turbines, two heat recovery steam generators, one steam turbine electric generator, a direct air-cooling condenser and a black start diesel generator. The government has selected the China Machinery and Engineering Corporation, which is part of the China National Machinery Industry Corporation, as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project.
Modus operandi of the electricity-generating plant.
Furthermore, the plant will generate 10.3 million megawatt-hours of electricity every year. The electricity generated will be sold under a power purchase agreement with Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading. It will then be supplied to distribution companies under long-term agreements and via direct sales to major off takers. The power plant will be fueled by natural gas produced within the country. Experts have assured the government that Nigeria has an abundant amount of gas which can be used to run the plant.
CEO of NNPC Group, Mele Kyari, said, “Nigeria is endowed with significant natural gas resources of over 209 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of proven gas reserves and a potential reserve of over 600 TCF.” He said that as a commercial enterprise, NNPC sees this project as an opportunity to monetize the country’s abundant natural gas resources by expanding access to energy to support economic growth, industrialisation and job creation across the country. This statement was made at the ground-breaking of the project.
Kyari said the project is one step to achieving NNPC gas and power mandate.
According to him, to achieve Nigeria’s national aspiration, NNPC has invested heavily in domestic gas footprint expansion projects through the delivery of the Trans-Nigeria Pipeline Project (TNGP) which includes the Escravos to Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS & ELPS II), the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline. One of such is this project, which is a giant step towards achieving NNPC Gas & Power mandate to add 5GW into the National Power generation by 2024.
He said that NNPC and partners are currently delivering about 800MW to the national grid from Afam VI and Okpai Phase One thermal power plants with a combined installed capacity of 1,100MW. Kyari said that the project will be delivered in collaboration with General Electric (GE) as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and China Machinery and Engineering Corporation (CMEC) as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contractor. Just as the national company had recently commissioned the 50MW Maiduguri Emergency Power plant (MEPP), Kyari said that it will continue to replicate similar viable business opportunities across the Nation to ensure energy affordability.
NNPC head assured Tinubu of commitment to alleviating energy poverty.
At the ceremony, the NNPC CEO appreciated the collaboration and support of stakeholders including the Ministry of Power, and other relevant agencies such as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading PLC (NBET), the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and the Gwagwalada host community. Kyari re-assured President Tinubu that NNPC Limited, as an energy company of choice, is committed to alleviating energy poverty and enhancing socio-economic development of the country.
Related Link
NNPC Limited: Website
