KEY POINTS
- NDPHC has restored the 450MW Alaoji Open Cycle Power Plant after a three-year shutdown in Abia State.
- Three generating units are now ready to dispatch approximately 375MW to Nigeria’s national grid.
- Abia Governor Alex Otti says the plant could eventually be expanded to reach 1,100 megawatts capacity.
The 450-megawatt Alaoji Open Cycle Power Plant in Abia State is back. After sitting idle since 2023 over a gas supply dispute and mounting debt to TotalEnergies, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company has restored the facility and returned it to the national grid.
NDPHC Managing Director Jennifer Adighije broke the news during a meeting with Abia State Governor Alex Otti, detailing the remedial steps the company took since she assumed office in 2024.
“The good news is that we have carried out and fixed all the remedial works on the defective gas line. We’ve also been able to completely defray our past due obligations to Total, and Total has restored gas supply to the plant,” Adighije said.
The plant’s shutdown followed a breakdown over metering and trading point disparities between NDPHC and TotalEnergies, which prompted the gas supplier to cut off supply. Debt built up in the interim. Resolving both issues cleared the path for restoration.
Three units back and ready to dispatch
Extensive electromechanical works on the plant have been completed. Three generating units, GT1, GT22 and GT23, are now operational and available to dispatch approximately 375 megawatts to the national grid. Adighije described the facility as a viable generation asset with adequate transmission infrastructure and no major evacuation constraints.
Otti welcomed the development, saying the turnaround was long overdue. “The last time I visited the Alaoji plant, it was regrettable that such capacity was wasting away. I’m glad to learn that you have brought it back to life,” he said.
Plans for expansion and state partnership
The governor revealed that the plant could be expanded to 800 megawatts and eventually to approximately 1,100 megawatts, subject to available funding. He directed the state’s Commissioner for Power to begin working with NDPHC on modalities for wheeling electricity from Alaoji to Umuahia and surrounding areas.
Abia State has ring-fenced the Umuahia electricity market and entered an agreement with the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company to acquire distribution assets covering the area. The state estimates it needs about 100 megawatts to service the eight local government areas within that arrangement, while renewable energy and mini-grid investments are also ongoing.
Adighije said NDPHC was open to forming a strategic alliance with Abia State, citing the governor’s track record on power sector reform as a foundation the company could build on.
