Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia
Power supply is expected to witness a significant boost in over half of Abia State as the Geometric Power Group is set to start firing the first of its four power generating turbines after inauguration on Monday.
The historic event which is expected to be graced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is already generating huge excitement among Aba residents and in government circle given the huge impact the project would have on the state’s economy.
At a pre-inauguration media interaction yesterday, the Chairman/Group Managing Director of Geometric, Professor Barth Nnaji, said the Aba Ring-fenced area would be fed with 47 megawatts of electricity almost double its present supply of 25 megawatts.
He said the ultimate goal was to provide 24-hour steady power supply to the nine local governments that make up the Aba Ring-fenced area, adding that his firm has invested over $800 million in what is Nigeria’s only integrated power project.
The Geometric Power Group is licensed to both generate and distribute electricity hence the two component companies, Geometric Power Aba Ltd(GPAL) and APL Electric Company Ltd (Aba Power) performs the respective functions.
Nnaji explained that the four turbines with total capacity of 188MW would be inaugurated in phases until the full capacity is attained.
He added that on attainment of full capacity, the excess power would eventually be offloaded to the national grid as Aba and its environs would not be expected to consume as much as 100MW
But the power behind Geometric Power was quick to add that the residents of the service area should not expect that uninterrupted power would be automatic. This is because the first turbine would be monitored closely to gauge its performance before the second one would be installed and the rest in that order.
“This project is on track to deliver reliable electricity. It is not going to be immediate but the commissioning will trigger it,” he assured Abians.
According to him, by the time the second turbine would come on stream thereby increasing the power output to 94MW, the Aba Ring-fenced area would start experiencing the much expected uninterrupted power supply.
Nnaji, who is a former Minister of Power, stated that with the huge amount of money sunk into the Aba integrated power project, Geometric Power would spare no effort to give consumers world class service and make the investors smile.
He stated that the thermal plant would be fired with gas from Owaza field in Ukwa West Local Government of Abia, noting that Geometric has spent over $50 million on gas pipeline to ensure a steady supply of gas from source to the plant.
In his remarks the Abia State Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, said the state government was fully supportive of Geometric Power and has continued to assist the firm realise its business goal.
He sated that Governor Alex Otti was fulfilling his promise of to partner relevant stakeholders to drive the economy of Abia hence it was heartwarming that with the tenacity of Geometric Power, the Aba integrated power project has eventually materialised.
“If you want to drive industrialisation without power, you can’t go anywhere,” he said, adding that Abians are excited about Geometric Power the huge economic prospects it would unleash in the state.
The commissioner disclosed that a legislation was in the offing to protect electricity infrastructure and also the rights of consumers to demand for good value for their money.
