The federal government has taken steps to address the challenges of inadequate gas supply to Nigeria’s thermal electricity generation plants by establishing a committee to investigate and recommend solutions. Despite Nigeria’s vast natural gas reserves, lack of investment and infrastructure constraints have hindered its utilization.
The inter-ministerial committee, set up jointly by the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, and Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, aims to ensure a steady and sustainable gas supply to power generating plants to meet domestic and industrial needs.
Challenges identified include legacy debts, vandalism of gas infrastructure in the Niger Delta region, and domestic pricing of gas in dollars. Both ministers emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts to resolve these issues and achieve uninterrupted power supply in the country.
Members of the committee are drawn from relevant ministries, regulatory agencies, operators, and stakeholders in the gas and power sectors. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) also reassured the public that there are no imminent plans to increase the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), urging against panic buying as PMS remains readily available across the country.