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Gas Supply Disruption Affects Aba Power

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Power supply has been disrupted in parts of the nine local government areas in Abia State serviced by Aba Power, it has been learnt.

The problem began late last week and may continue till the end of today (Monday).

The disruption is a result of what an insider at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited called gas logistics issues.

The engineer didn’t explain the nature of gas issues because he isn’t authorised to speak to the media on the matter.

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However, it is understood that the gas issues have to do with the ongoing repairs of a gas pipeline in Rivers State.

“We swung into action immediately we received a status report on the valve because we understand the very delicate nature of the rupture, apart from the fact that we don’t want the people of Aba, a major industrial and commercial city, to be without power for long”, the NNPCL engineer explained.

Sources at Aba Power informed our correspondent that many parts of the Aba Ring-fenced Area still receive electricity because the distribution company “is now importing power from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC)”.

The sources, who asked not to be named in the media because they didn’t have the firm’s mandate to grant a press interview, stated that “Aba Power is paying an unbelievable amount, over N2 billion, for only 25 megawatts just to ensure that Aba people run their business as much as possible”.

The sources did not state with certainty when the repairs would be concluded, but it is most likely to be “anytime from now because of the immense pressure from” from the Geometric Power Group, which owns Aba Power.

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The communication consultant to Aba Power, C. Don Adinuba, told correspondents that he had just landed in Lagos and had and had not been briefed on new developments in the office or in the field. He referred correspondents to the Aba Power acting managing director, Ugo Opiegbe.

Our attempt to speak Opiegbe before filing this report failed.

“I am in the church. Please, call back later, “he said on the phone.

He gave the same reply an hour later. GMTNewsng

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Geometric Power Plant Resumes Full Operations, Plans 10-Hour Reduction for Pipeline Repairs on Wednesday

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Geometric Power Plant Aba

Geometric Power Plant Resumes Full Operations, Plans 10-Hour Reduction for Pipeline Repairs on Wednesday

Electricity supply to the Aba Ringfence, covering nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State, resumed fully this afternoon following a 40% decline over the weekend. The drop was due to an attack on the oil pipelines supplying gas to the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant.

The Aba Power Managing Director, Ugo Opiegbe, explained the situation, stating, “Heirs Energies, the operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPL)–Heirs Energies Joint Venture on the Oil Mining Licence (OML) 17, worked extremely hard to restore gas supplies.” He added, “The emergency repair of the damaged portion of the pipeline enabled the restoration of gas supplies.”

Opiegbe, however, disclosed, “There will be a planned reduction in power supply for 10 hours tomorrow (Wednesday) to facilitate further emergency repairs on the oil pipeline. This reduction is necessary due to a scheduled decrease in gas pressure.”

Engr. Vincent Ogbonna Chukwueke, a gas consultant and former senior manager with The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), provided further insight, explaining, “The gas reduction owes to the discovery of an illegal connection on the operated TransNiger Gas Pipeline (TNP) that stretches from Egbema in Imo State through Rivers State and terminates at Bonny Terminal.” He clarified, “When the oil pipelines are put out of operation due to such interference, liquids that come out during gas processing and are normally evacuated through the oil pipeline get stranded, leading to the shutdown of the gas facilities.”

Chukwueke emphasized the frequency of such incidents, stating, “It is common for thieves searching for crude oil and petroleum products to break pipelines in oil-bearing areas because crude oil and gas pipelines are laid side by side, making it difficult for the vandals to differentiate them.”

Expressing optimism about the repairs, Chukwueke said, “The scheduled reduction in power supply to parts of the Aba Ringfence tomorrow may not last up to 10 hours because of the insistence by the Geometric Power Group that all the parties involved in the repairs do everything humanly possible to provide the Aba people with electricity, after four days of reduced electricity supply which made customers unhappy, having enjoyed 31 days of uninterrupted power supply.”

The Aba community, which had been celebrating one month of uninterrupted electricity, faced a sudden drastic decline in gas pressure, forcing the Geometric Power Plant to shut down its General Electric (GE) turbines. “The community was caught off guard by the announcement, which disrupted their steady power supply,” Chukwueke noted. GMTNewsng

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Aba Power Requests Increased Gas Supply to Enhance Power Delivery as TCN Maintains Key Line

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Aba Power Corporate Headquarters

Aba Power Electric Ltd, Nigeria’s latest electricity distribution company, is working towards securing additional natural gas supplies from its partners to enhance electricity delivery across nine of the 17 local government areas (LGAs) it services. This initiative coincides with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) commencing regular operations on the Alaoji-Aba 132kV line.

In a statement released by Ugo Opiegbe, Managing Director of Aba Power, explained that “a team of dedicated and competent TCN engineers and technicians is scheduled to service the line from December 1 to 7 to ensure regular and quality bulk power supply to the Aba Ringfenced Area managed by Aba Power, Nigeria’s 12th distribution company (DisCo).”

Opiegbe also mentioned that discussions have been ongoing with the NNPCL and Heirs Energies to secure increased gas supplies to the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant located in the Osisoma Industrial Layout, Aba. He said, “We have, therefore, been in talks with the NNPCL and Heirs Energies to increase gas supply to the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant in the Osisoma Industrial Layout in Aba to enable us to provide electricity to the people, businesses, and communities in the nine LGAs we cover, and they have pledged to do their best to give us increased gas.”

The NNPCL and Heirs Energies jointly own Oil Mining Lease (OML) 17, located in the Owaza community in Ukwa West LGA of Abia State, with Heirs Energies as the operator.

According to Engineer Cliff Eneh, an electric power consultant in Lagos, the Geometric Power Plant receives gas from a 27-kilometre gas pipeline built to the OML. Eneh, who previously worked with both the Texas Power and Light Company in the United States and the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), explained, “Due to the insufficient gas supplies to the Geometric Power Plant, the electricity firm has been augmenting its own power generation with supplies from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), which uses TCN’s 133kV and 330kV lines to make them available to the Geometric Power Plant.”

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Eneh went on to note that, while the one-week maintenance on the line could affect electricity supply to Aba residents and businesses, Geometric Power has proactively worked to minimize disruptions. “This is why Aba residents and businesses might be affected by the scheduled one-week maintenance work on the Line, though Geometric Power has taken proactive steps to either minimize the impact on the customers or reduce it to the barest minimum,” he said.

Commending the collaboration between Geometric Power, TCN, and NDPHC, Eneh emphasized that the impact of the planned TCN shutdown could be avoided if gas supplies to the 188MW plant were sufficient. “The planned TCN shutdown would not have any impact on the Aba Ringfence if there were sufficient gas supplies to the 188MW plant,” he said.

Eneh also highlighted that, during nationwide outages in October and November 2024, residents in the Aba Ringfence did not experience any power disruptions due to an improvement in gas supply during that period, facilitated by the NNPCL and Heirs Energies. “People in the Aba Ringfence did not experience outages when there was a series of nationwide outages in October and November 2024 because there was a significant gas supply improvement to the area during this period by the NNPCL and Heirs Energies.”

Looking ahead, Eneh believes that the plant, once fully operational with sufficient gas, would not only supply uninterrupted electricity to all nine LGAs under its coverage but also contribute to the national grid. “Not only would the plant have started to provide full and uninterrupted electricity to all the nine LGAs under its coverage since commissioning last February 26, it would have been exporting power to the national grid to increase power availability in other parts of Nigeria since it already has installed three turbines of 47MW each, with the fourth to be installed anytime the gas issue is resolved.”

“The whole nation is waiting anxiously to see the NNPCL and Heirs Energies deliver on their promise to increase natural gas supply to the Geometric Power Plant which will, in turn, provide electricity to Aba Power Electricity Ltd,” he concluded. GMTNewsng

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NERC Mandates DisCos to Downgrade Band A Customers Failing 20-Hour Power Supply Commitment

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The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has directed electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to downgrade customers in the Band A category if they fail to meet the mandatory 20-hour daily power supply requirement. This was disclosed by Dafe Apkeneye, NERC’s Commissioner for Licensing and Legal, during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday.

“If Discos cannot meet the promised 20 hours for Band A customers, those customers must be downgraded to the appropriate category based on what the Discos can supply,” Apkeneye explained. He emphasized that the reclassification process is non-negotiable, adding, “Discos must apply for the reclassification and ensure they can consistently meet the supply requirements of Band A customers. If they cannot, they are obligated to downgrade those customers to the correct band.”

Apkeneye acknowledged the challenges faced by Discos, stating that their ability to distribute electricity depends on availability from the national grid. “Discos can only distribute electricity available on the grid, and they are helpless when there is no supply to the grid,” he said. However, he noted that grid stability has improved and expressed optimism about better supply. “If it doesn’t, Discos must take action to downgrade affected customers,” he added.

Addressing the shift in regulatory power under Nigeria’s amended constitution, Apkeneye highlighted that states now have the authority to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity within their territories. “States can establish and regulate their electricity markets,” he noted. According to him, this change is part of the concurrent legislative list, granting states exclusive powers over electricity infrastructure within their jurisdictions.

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Apkeneye further revealed that some states are already making strides to leverage this newfound autonomy. “For instance, Oyo State has issued a notice of intent to establish its electricity market. Their team has visited the commission, undergone extensive training with international regulatory bodies, and even studied practices in Ghana. States are preparing to take full advantage of these new powers,” he said.

Regarding customer grievances, Apkeneye reiterated that NERC has consolidated customer protection regulations to streamline complaint resolution. “For customers to have their complaints resolved by NERC, they must first lodge the complaint with their respective Disco. If the Disco fails to respond within a specific timeframe, the customer can escalate the issue to NERC’s consumer forum,” he explained.

The commissioner assured that NERC remains committed to ensuring fairness in resolving disputes, including cases of overbilling. “However, when customers bypass meters, we ensure appropriate action is taken against such violations,” he warned. The commission’s proactive measures, he stressed, aim to balance consumer rights with compliance across the sector. GMTNewsng

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