Geometric Power, Nigeria’s leading integrated electricity group, has expressed concerns over the severe shortage of natural gas supply to its 188-megawatt power plant in Aba, Abia State.
The shortage is hindering the plant’s ability to generate electricity, thereby impacting the state’s economic growth, the authorities said in a statement on Thursday.
Ugo Opiegbe, Managing Director of Aba Power, stated that the company has been forced to import 25 megawatts from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) at a significant cost to ensure uninterrupted power supply to its customers.
Despite having the capacity to generate 141 megawatts from its three General Electric (GE) turbines, the company faces gas constraints, which is ironic, given its ability to export excess power to the national grid.
He said, “due to the grave shortage of gas, we have been constrained to import 25 megawatts from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) at a huge cost, just to ensure that our customers have supplies, no matter the cost to us.
“It is a supreme irony that though we are ready to generate 141MW from our three General Electric (GE) turbines and provide uninterrupted, quality and affordable electricity to nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State we service and export some 50MW potential excess power to the national grid to make power more available to other places in Nigeria, we are importing electricity because of the grave gas constraints,” he said.
The company notes that the Aba Ringfence requires approximately 90 megawatts, which can be generated from two of its installed turbines, each with a capacity of 47 megawatts.
“However, the 25 megawatts imported from the NDPHC is insufficient to meet the demand,” he said.
“The unreliable gas supply is affecting hundreds of thousands of customers, particularly manufacturing firms, for whom Geometric Power built the $800 million Aba Integrated Power Project to accelerate industrial development in Aba and its environs.”
Meanwhile, our reporter gathered that the company signed an agreement with The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in 2009 for gas supply, but the withdrawal of SPDC from Nigeria’s onshore operations led to the transfer of ownership and management to local operators, who have failed to deliver the required gas supply.
Geometric Power is working to resolve the gas supply challenge, acknowledging the efforts of Vice President Shettima, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu, and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Group Managing Director Mele Kyari in assisting to secure a more reliable gas source.
The company expects to overcome the gas shortage within a month, an insider source told our reporter.
