By Frank Ulom
On Monday, 26 February 2024, a power plant was commissioned in Aba which will provide 24 hours electricity in 9 out of 17 local government areas in Abia State.
The power plant, CONVERSEER learned was build by Geometric Power Plant in Osisioma Industrial Layout, Aba, the commercial hub of the state.
With the epileptic power supply Nigeria faces, the area will become the first in history to have 24/7 power supply.
The capacity of the Geometric Power Plant is 181 megawatts (181MW).
The power plant was built by former Minister for Power, Professor Barth Nnaji for $800 million.
According to the management, Aba will consume only 100 megawatts of power while the balance of 81 megawatts will be exported to the national grid.
Geometric Power is the largest single investment in the South East.
The power plant project was built 9 years ago, marking the beginning of the economic transformation of South East.
The delay was sequel to the initial face-off between Geometric Power Plant and Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, which was recently resolved out of court.
The Turbine 3 power plant was turned on at 3.39pm on Sunday, 25 February 2024, by Geometric Power engineers and their KS Energy counterparts.
The integrated power project includes building of 27-kilometre natural gas pipeline from Owaza in Ukwa West Local Government Area to the Osisioma Industrial Layout in Aba.
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According to Ben Caven, Managing Director of Geometric Power Ltd., “We have, in addition, installed 150,000 kilometres of cables and wires and installed four new power substations, as well as refurbished three others inherited from the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).”
Barth Nnaji embarked on the integrated project after James Wolfensohn, a former World Bank President and then Nigeria’s Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala visted Aba, on 17 March 2004, and discovered that the greatest challenge facing both large-scale and medium-scale industrialists in Aba, reputed to be the centre of indigenous manufacturing in Nigeria, was epileptic power supply.
Both Wolfensohn and Okonjo-Iweala appealed to Nnaji to assist with a power plant dedicated to Aba, following the 22MW Abuja Emergency Power Plant he led a team of Nigerian engineers to build in Abuja, from 2000 to 2001 that supplied uninterrupted power to critical places, like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Company, the Central Bank headquarters, the Aso Rock and the entire Central Business District of Abuja.
Patrick Umeh, a former executive with the Los Angeles Water and Light in the United States, who later served as commissioner in-charge of Markets, Market Rates and Competition, at the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), described the tubular poles mounted by Geometric Power in Aba and the environs, as incomparable in Africa.
“Only in cities like Tokyo and San Francisco in California you have facilities of this quality and sizes.
“Much as they are tall, as all of us can see, the tubular poles here are actually about 10 meters deep.
“In other words, in the unlikely event of a natural disaster, like earthquake in Aba or the environs, Aba Power and the Geometric Group will still be able to supply electricity to its numerous customers”.
“Electricity was rarely available in Aba and when it was available it was so poor that it couldn’t power your household appliances, let alone industrial machines,” Alphonsus Udeigbo, president general, Aba Landlords Protection and Development Association (ALPANDA) said.
For Andy Ubah Obasi, a former president, Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA), takeover of Aba, by Geometric Power Limited, will incite industrialisation in the entire South-East region and Nigeria at large.
According to him, “The feeling of the business community is that this is long overdue. Most people know how useful and beneficial power is to industrialisation. Geometric has always been there for the past 16 -years and the business community has being anxiously waiting for this and we are glad that it has finally arrived”.
The inauguartion of the Geometric Power plant, will mark a new dawn in the country, not just in Aba or Abia State, according to Alexander Maduakor, president, Association of Aba Industrialists.
“We are proud of the support the Federal Government has of late been giving to the Geometric Power Limited, the only group in Nigeria that will generate and distribute its own power.”
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.
Present at the inauguration were Vice President Kashim Shettima who represented President Bola Tinubu, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, 2023 Labour Party Presidential Candidate Mr Peter Obi, Obi of Onitsha HRM Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Chairman Abia Council of Traditional Rulers HRM Eze Linus Nto and the wife of the late Biafra warlord Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu.
Others were the Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Ambassador Okey Emuchay, Chief Executive Officer of Innoson Motors Chief Innocent Chukwuma, and the son of former Head of State Sheyi Obasanjo.
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