Power
AS Aba Power, Nigeria’s 12 electricity distribution company (DisCo), today marks its 31 days of providing power without interruption to nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State in the Aba Ringfence, its Managing Director has congratulated the staff on the achievement but with a warning not rest on their laurels.
“You have reason to click glasses for this attainment made possible by an improved gas supply from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL), and its partner, Heirs Energies”, said Ugo Opiegbe, a lawyer, in an email to the management and staff this morning, “ we must bear in mind that there is a lot of work to be done”.
Opiegbe listed the work ahead as increasing the number of installed prepaid meters, supplying electricity to places like Akwete in Ukwa East Local Government Area where the electricity poles were affected by road construction years ago, giving light to underserved and neglected rural communities within its franchise area, and earning the confidence of potential heavy customers who have been self-generating because of irregular, poor quality and unsafe supply that has been disrupting their operations and damaging their expensive and sensitive machines over the years.
“It is disheartening to read that companies like Nigerian Breweries plc are planning to build captive power plants in Lagos and Aba which may not give them more than 6megawatt in each plant, thereby taking them away from their core business of brewery and making them incur avoidable huge costs”, the electricity boss said.
“Once such firms are assured of constant, quality, safe, and affordable power, they will naturally buy from utilities like us”.
Opiegbe disclosed that the Geometric Power Group, Aba Power’s parent organization, has built five brand new substations, refurbished three inherited from the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), and built 150,000 kilometres of overhead wires to boost power supply.
“Our steel tubular poles”, he stated, “are comparable to what are available in Tokyo, Japan, and San Francisco, United States, which are earthquake-prone, beccause we resolved from Day One to give the Aba people world-class electricity.
“We are the only integrated power company in Nigeria, and no firm has made the kind of investments we have made in power development within a very short period”.
The Aba Power MD also confirmed the company’s efforts to get the NNPCL and Heirs to increase gas supply to the 188MW Geometric Power Plant in the Osisioma Industrial Layout in Aba so that all the turbines in its General Electric (GE) fleet will go into full operation and supply more electricity to not just the Aba Ringfence but also other parts of the country.
“Frankly, no part of Nigeria should be without power in this day and age”, he said.
A.I
Jan. 17, 2025
Tags: Aba Power Aba Ringfence NNPCL Ugo Opiegbe
