The Federal Government has on Wednesday in Abuja set up an inter-ministerial committee that will suggest ways and means of achieving a steady and sustainable gas supply to the gas power generating plants to meet both the domestic and industrial needs of Nigerians.
Deputy Director for Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Chris Ugwuegbulam, said the committee was set up by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, and the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, in a bid to address the challenges of low gas supply to gas (thermal) power generating stations in the country, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu Administration.
He said the committee was formed at the end of a meeting between the two ministries in Ekpo’s office.
At the meeting, Ekpo outlined the challenges causing the low supply of gas to the thermal power plants to include decade of gas legacy debts; vandalisation of gas resources infrastructures in the Niger Delta region; domestic pricing of gas in dollars, etc.
He expressed his willingness to work harmoniously with any individual, organisation and agency to solve these challenges.
Chief Adelabu, in his remarks, stated the need for the two ministries to work collaboratively and solve the problem of low gas supply to the thermal power plants in order to achieve an uninterrupted power supply in the country, stressing that “there is absolutely nothing can be done in Nigeria without stable power.”
Members of the committee were drawn from the Ministries of Petroleum Resources and Power, regulatory agencies, operators and critical stakeholders in the gas and power sectors.
The meeting was witnessed by some directors in the Ministries of Petroleum Resources and Power.
