The management of the Geometric Power Plant has decried the acute shortage of natural gas supply to its 188-megawatt plant in the Osisioma Industrial Estate in Aba, Abia State, saying it is affecting the state’s economic growth.
In a press statement on Friday, the company’s Managing Director, Ugo Opiegbe, noted that the Aba Ringfence needs about 90MW, which it can generate from two of its installed three turbines, with a capacity of 47MW each.
Opiegbe said, “Due to the grave shortage of gas, we have been constrained to import 25 megawatts from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company 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 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.
“Therefore, the 25MW from the NDPHC is like a drop of water in the ocean,” adding that the “unreliable gas supply” was affecting several customers, including manufacturing firms.”
Regarded as the biggest private sector investment in the South-East, the Aba power integrated project was commissioned on February 26, 2024, by Vice President Kashim Shettima on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.
“From the look of things, we should be able to overcome the gas shortage within a month,” the statement added.
Punch
