KEY POINTS
- Aba Power has resumed full electricity supply after Heirs Energies fixed a technical issue that disrupted gas supply to the 188MW Geometric Power plant.
- The company restored power to nine LGAs in Abia State and temporarily relied on the national grid to support major manufacturers.
- An energy expert says Aba’s embedded power model shows why decentralised generation is vital amid Nigeria’s frequent grid collapses.
Aba Power, Nigeria’s newest electricity distribution company, has resumed full electricity supply to customers following the restoration of gas supply to its embedded power generation partner, Geometric Power Aba Limited.
The disruption affected the 188-megawatt Geometric Power plant located in the Osisoma Industrial Layout, which serves as the primary generation source for the Aba Ring-fenced Area in Abia State.
Confirming the development, Aba Power Managing Director, Ugo Opiegbe, said electricity supply was restored after Heirs Energies, the gas supplier from Operating Mining Lease 17, resolved a technical fault that had forced a temporary shutdown.
Gas Supply Interruption Halts Embedded Power Generation
According to Aba Power, the outage began around 2 pm on Monday, January 26, when Heirs Energies detected a technical issue in its gas delivery system and halted supply in order to fix the problem.
Opiegbe said the company welcomed the swift response by Heirs Energies, noting that the issue was handled with professionalism and dedication, allowing operations to resume in a relatively short time.
Aba Power Confirms Restoration to Nine LGAs in Abia
With gas supply restored, Aba Power said electricity has now returned to nine of the 17 local government areas within the Aba Ring-fenced Area.
The company apologised to customers for the inconvenience caused by the disruption and expressed appreciation for their patience during the outage.
During the period of gas unavailability, Aba Power disclosed that it sourced electricity from the national grid to sustain supply to major manufacturing and industrial firms, in a bid to minimise economic losses and maintain production activities.
This stopgap measure, however, was affected by a nationwide system collapse that occurred at about 10 am on Tuesday, January 27, plunging the entire country into a blackout.
