Minister says Excess power from Aba power plant to feed national grid
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has said that excess power from the newly commissioned Geometric Power Plant in Aba, Abia State, will be used to feed the national grid
The minister, who stated this during the commissioning of the 188MW, with 141MW capacity plant, said the plant did not belong to Abia State alone, but to the entire country.
Adelabu explained that any power that the Aba people and businesses cannot absorb would be delivered to the national grid, in that way supplying additional electricity to various parts of Nigeria.
Adelabu further explained that the project was unique because it is integrated and consists basically of Geometric Power Aba Limited, and APL Electric Company Limited.
The two companies are licensed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to generate and distribute electricity respectively, within the Aba Ring Fenced Area, which covers nine and 17 local government areas in the state.
According to the minister, ”It is no coincidence that Aba IPP is being inaugurated less than one year after I assumed office as the Honorable Minister of Power.
“The President Bola Tinubu administration has always appreciated the knowledge, skills, competence, and patriotism of the founder and chairman of Geometric Power, Professor Bart Nnaji, one of my worthy predecessors.
“At the retreat held for senior officials shortly after the current administration came into being in the middle of last year, President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, personally ensured that Professor Nnaji was invited to speak to members of the new federal executive team on how to significantly improve electricity supply throughout Nigeria within a short period. Professor Nnaji was the only former minister so invited.
“As the presiding minister, I was recently invited to foster the necessary cordial relationship between APLE and some agencies under my ministry, making sure that both parties mutually realised their objectives.
“In my intervention, I was very mindful of the need to encourage a fully Nigerian company and at the same time guide the government agencies on how to be firm and supportive concerning implementing government policies and regulations.
”It is regrettable that such an impactful and strategic power project like Aba IPP could be allowed to be in limbo for nine years due to the avoidable manner in which the privatisation of the power sector took place.
“It would not have suffered so long if the Tinubu administration had been in office earlier. The suffering is now behind us. The future matters more. I assure you that under the President Tinubu administration, we will continue to provide a friendly environment to thrive and offer government assistance to Aba IPP and other serious-minded and other serious-minded power project developers in Nigeria.”
Adelabu urged Nigerians, not just the people of Aba and the environs, to make greater efforts to secure the power infrastructure, adding that critical infrastructure has become very expensive to provide, maintain, and replace.
He declared that privatisation was a way for the government to leverage the enormous funds in the private sector to provide critical infrastructure.
The minister appealed that the onus is on every citizen to report to security agents or community leaders vandals who damage infrastructure that benefits the public
He further urged Nigerians to pay their electricity bills as and when due, avoid meter bypassing and energy theft.
Adelabu warned against attacks on electricity distribution company officials performing their legitimate duties of revenue collection.
He informed that the federal government would watch the performance of Aba IPP closely, adding that, ‘If it succeeds in its mission, we will use it as a business model for a radical improvement of the Nigerian power sector.”