The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria has said it will soon increase electricity output from the Afam V1 power plant from 450 to 650 mega watts, Shell’s Corporate Media Relations Manager, Mr. Tony Okonedo, said in a statement on Monday.
The Afam V1 power plant, located at Afam in South South Rivers State, began electricity production in 2008.
According to Okonedo, the output increase will become a reality with the expected inauguration of the combined cycle turbine on 4-5 May.
“The power plant is to be shut down for the scheduled period of commissioning. Apart from increasing the capacity of the plant to 650 MW, the combined cycle operations provides both environmental and efficient benefits, by utilising heat produced from the gas without burning of any additional hydrocarbon fuel,” Okonedo said, adding that all stakeholders had been notified of the shutdown
“The SPDC regrets the shortfall in electricity generation that will result from the unavoidable shutdown and will do everything to complete the exercise on schedule,” he said.
Okonedo said the Afam V1 three gas turbines which were inaugurated in July 2009, had jointly supplied more than 2.5 million megawatt hours of electricity to the national grid.
“The plant will boost Nigeriaâ?s electricity supply by 20 per cent,” Okonedo said.
The SPDC joint venture (JV) commissioned the first turbine of its US$ 1.3 billion (about N152.1 billion) combined cycle Afam VI Power Plant, the Okoloma Gas Plant and associated gas wells – collectively known as the Afam Gas and Power Project.
SPDC operates the JV on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (55%), Shell (30%), Agip (5%) and Total (10%).
