NMDPRA denies halting gas supply to GenCos

The NMDPRA said the report is “false and completely unfounded.”

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Wednesday said it has not issued any directive to halt gas supply to generating companies (GenCos).

The agency, in a statement by its public affairs unit on Wednesday, made this known in reaction to reports alleging that it has directed gas producers to halt gas supply to GenCos due to unpaid debts of over N2 trillion owed to gas producers.

In its statement, the NMDPRA said the report is “false and completely unfounded.”

“The attention of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has been drawn to a news publication with a spurious claim that the authority has directed that gas supply to power generating companies (GenCos) be halted and instructed wholesale gas suppliers to stop further supply of gas to companies due to failure in payment obligations.

“The NMDPRA wishes to state categorically that this report is false and completely unfounded,” the agency said.

It explained that it has absolutely no bearing on the information shared at a recent stakeholders’ engagement held in Lagos between the authority, the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

It said the purpose of the engagement was to sensitise stakeholders on the requirements, opportunities and benefits associated with the implementation of the wholesale supply license as provided by sections 142 and 197 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

“It was a follow-up to an earlier stakeholder engagement held at the NMDPRA corporate headquarters in Abuja on 27 November 2024.

“The authority wishes to reassure all our stakeholders and indeed the general public that at no time was the false statement made at that event and anywhere else,” the statement said.

The NMDPRA advised the public to disregard the publication, noting that every effort is being made to ensure that the supply and distribution of natural gas and petroleum products to end users is seamless and unabated, especially during the festive season and all through the coming year.