By Taiwo Osho
Geometric Power Ltd and the National Control Centre (NCC) at Oshogbo in Osun State have developed a timetable on how electricity will be supplied to all parts of the Aba Ring-fenced Area in Abia State following the commissioning of the Aba Independent Power Project (IPP) by Vice President Kashim Shettima on behalf of President Bola Tinubu last Monday.
Both parties reached the understanding yesterday following the visit of an NCC team on Thursday to the 188-megawatt Aba Independent Power IPP and the inspection of its facilities the next day.
The IPP includes the 188MW thermal plant located in the Osisioma Industrial Layout of Aba and the Aba Power Electric Company set up to distribute power to the Aba Ring-fenced Area which comprises nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State.
“Commercial electricity supply to the nine LGAs began yesterday”, an engineer with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) who is conversant with the timetable, told our correspondent but advised that his name be concealed in the media because he did not have the authority to speak to the press on this matter.
“It began with the release of 7MW, and 7MW will be added every week until the commissioning phase is over”.
Experts call the method the ramp-up process of commissioning.
With 7MW injected into the system weekly, according to Isaac Ayodele, a former engineer with the defunct Power Holding Company (PHCN ) who is now an energy consultant in Lagos, “all 47MW from the first General Electric (GE) turbine will be supplied to consumers by the end of this month.
“This will be double the quantum of electricity currently supplied to the Aba Ring-fenced Area by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), which has been just 25MW for months”.
Ayodele continued: “By the end of April, power outages will be a thing of the past in all the 9 LGAs in Abia State serviced by Aba Power, Nigeria’s 12th electricity distribution company and the newest”.
The Geometric Power leadership has explained that the 47MW from the third GE turbine will be sent to the national grid, since Aba and its environs may not absorb more than 94MW right now.
There are indications, however, that the Southeast governors will press that the excess 47MW be sold to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) for use in the five Southeastern states.
A source at the South East Governors Forum in Enugu who pleaded for anonymity told journalists: “We are finalising discussions on this matter”.
