Investments in Power

Investment in Power represents an innovative investment both in the domestic use of gas but also in a critical pillar of development for the country.

In its commitment to assist the Nigerian Government in providing reliable and dependable power crucial for the nation’s economic development, the NAOC JV commissioned Phase 1 of the country’s very first upstream Independent Power Project in April 2005. Located at Okpai in Delta State, the Okpai IPP has the capacity to supply 480 MW of electricity directly to the national grid. 

Okpai’s IPP was the first JV-sponsored IPP in the country, and it has proved to be its most reliable source of power, contributing to about 15% of national power generation. Okpai’s 2nd phase is now under construction and will double its generating capacity up to 1 GW, doubling its customer base to 20 million consumers. 

The Plant’s double circuit system Over Head Transmission Line includes 130 towers, ranging from 80 m to 110 m in height, and is capable of carrying the load for IPP Phase 1 as well as the planned future expansion (IPP Phase 2). 

The Okpai Power Plant, located near Kwale in Delta State, covers an area of 300,000m². Because its location is subject to seasonal flooding from the nearby Niger River, 1,600,000m3 of sand was used to fill the site to protect the Power Station. The project was executed on a fast track schedule and the first unit entered into commercial operation just 20 months after the Final Investment Decision was taken. 

The Plant is a 480 MW Integrated Combined Cycle Power Plant consisting of 2 Gas Turbine Generation Sets of 165 MW each and a Condensate-Type Steam Turbine of 150MW. It is fed with fuel gas by a 14-Km, 18-inch pipeline from NAOC’s Kwale Gas Plant.  Along with the Power Generation Complex, NAOC JV also built a 55 km long 330KV Overhead Transmission Line, with 2 substations, to evacuate the power generated through the Onitsha sub-station. 

The Okpai Power Plant uses combined cycle technology, whereby the heat from the Plant’s two Gas Turbines is captured and used to drive its Steam Turbine, thereby improving output while simultaneously reducing the Plant’s carbon footprint. 

The sustainability of electricity and steam production is guaranteed by this natural gas-combined cycle co-generation, which represents the best available technology for thermal-electric production. The technology allows the highest efficiency to be attained for electric power generation from fossil resources (up to 12 % greater than that of the latest coal plants), also reducing the emission of pollutants for every kWh produced. 

The Phase 2 of the Okpai IPP project is expected to double the capacity of the power plant. This will bring the Plant’s total capacity to almost 1GW.  

This project has already been successfully initiated, and its Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract is currently being executed. A comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been conducted and approved for the project, and a License for the expanded power plant has been issued by the National Electricity Regulatory Authority.