Aba Power Ltd, a subsidiary of Geometric Power, is set to commence commercial power supply in the Aba Ring-fenced Area this weekend, two weeks earlier than initially planned.
The company, under the directive of its Chairman, Professor Bart Nnaji, a former Minister of Power, is accelerating its efforts to provide electricity to consumers.
Originally, the company planned to supply power to commercial customers 13 days after commissioning. However, Professor Nnaji has urged the utility’s engineers to expedite the process, stating, “power to the people without fail this weekend.”
The Geometric Power 188 Megawatt thermal plant and the Aba Power company, responsible for distributing electricity to nine out of the 17 local government areas in Abia State, were commissioned ahead of schedule.
Vice President Kassim Shettima represented President Bola Tinubu during the commissioning at the Osisioma Industrial Layout in Aba, Abia State.
Officials from the National Control Centre were expected to inspect the facility next week, but they will now visit this week. The move is attributed to Professor Nnaji’s influence and network.
The first turbine, built by General Electric of the United States, will supply 47MW during its commercial operations, nearly double the 25MW currently received by Aba Metropolis from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company through the national grid.
An energy consultant, Engineer Cliff Eneh, explained that the second turbine would increase the supply to 94MW, meeting Aba’s energy requirements and stabilizing power supply in the area.
Eneh highlighted the need for more generation and distribution firms with state-of-the-art facilities like Geometric Power. Neimeth Pharmaceuticals Plc has already expressed its intention to relocate manufacturing plants to Aba once the electricity situation improves significantly.
At the commissioning, Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu announced that the Federal Government would closely study Geometric Power’s performance as a potential business model for the overall development of the Nigerian power sector.
