Geometric Power laments gas shortage hampering its operation

Geometric Power has decried the acute shortage of natural gas supply to its 188-megawatt (MW) plant in the Osisioma Industrial Estate in Aba, Abia State, saying it is affecting the state’s economic growth.

The Managing Director of Aba Power, Ugo Opiegbe, in a statement, said: “Due to the grave shortage of gas, we have been constrained to import 25MW from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) at a huge cost, which is 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 councils in Abia State that 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.”

The company 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.

“Therefore, the 25MW from the NDPHC is like a drop of water in the ocean.The unreliable gas supply is affecting hundreds of thousands of our customers, particularly manufacturing firms for whose sake Geometric Power built the $800m Aba Integrated Power Project to accelerate the industrial development of Aba and its environs.

Regarded as the biggest private sector investment in the Southeast, the Aba power integrated project was commissioned last February 26 by Vice President KashimShettima on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.