Abia State is set to disconnect from the national grid once a 125-megawatt gas turbine is added to Geometric Power, Aba, which currently has 141 megawatts capacity.

Governor Alex Otti announced this at a media chat, citing efforts to generate, transmit and distribute the state’s own power.

The new gas turbine will boost Geometric Power’s capacity to 266 megawatts, enough to also supply power to Umuahia and environs, with excess power for sale.

Eight local governments in the Aba ring-fence area have detached from the national grid with Geometric Power’s operation, while the state is concentrating efforts on providing independent power for the remaining eight local governments so as to detach them from the national grid.

Otti also announced that Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), will also disconnect from the national grid upon completion of a 15-megawatt independent power project.

The governor had earlier restored power to ABSU after 13 years of darkness by inaugurating a 5-megawatt substation.

He revealed that the 15 megawatts independent power station was a proposed bigger solution to the nagging power problem in ABSU and environs

At the monthly media chat tagged ‘Alex Otti Speaks to Abians,’ the governor said: “Today again, we were able to restore public power to Abia State University. So we had the honour and privilege to commission and switch on the substation. So anytime there is no power in the grid, Abia State University will have power.

“We also have another solution that is coming and that is an independent power of about 15 megawatts which will be powered by gas turbines. We just signed off on that. It will take a little bit of time, but by the time it’s done, Abia State University may decide to detach from the national grid.

“Of course, the rest of the state will also be detached from the national grid by the time we are done with the solutions we are trying to provide from Geometric, Aba,” he added.

The governor disclosed that the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Mr. Monday Ikechukwu, has identified a General Electric-built 125 megawatts gas turbine in the Netherlands for Geometric to acquire.

He said that when that is added to Geometric’s three turbines which currently generate 141 megawatts, the company would be able to extend power supply to Umuahia and environs which requires about 100 megawatts.

“If we are able to generate enough power from the existing independent power company, we don’t need to build one in Umuahia,” he said.

Governor Otti also made it clear that the government would not subsidize electricity when it begins to generate its own independent power, saying consumers would discover that it would be cheaper to have 24-hour power supply.

(THISDAY)

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