Achieving a stable electricity supply
Energy markets don’t come much tougher. Nigeria urgently needs reliable power plants that significantly boost generating capacity, but are also highly flexible and efficient to suit the country’s power grid.Every single megawatt becomes important in order to give power to millions of Nigerians.Adeyemi Adenuga, CEO, Geregu Power Plc.
Closing the energy gap
As Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria is a vibrant emerging market, with a wealth of natural energy resources. But the country’s bright economic prospects are threatened by disruptions to its power supply. In 2014, for example, the World Bank reported that power outages were a daily occurrence for Nigerian firms.
In central Nigeria, Geregu power plant is a Siemens turnkey solution with a capacity of 434 megawatts. In a harsh environment with high fluctuation, the plant has a strategic significance: its three SGT5-2000E gas turbines are suitable for all load ranges, but especially for peak-load operation. Reliability and flexibility are just what’s required in these conditions.
In a region lacking substantial infrastructure, ease of service is a key advantage. Siemens designed a mobile assembly hall and heavy-lifting devices to perform the entire service on site. This minimizes maintenance costs and ensures the plant is back online as soon as possible.
Closing the gap between generation capacity and the energy needs of Nigerians is going to take time. But reliable power generation technology, with a high level of efficiency and availability, allows rapid progress to be made.