Aba Power has committed to reviving electricity service for the Aba Ring-fenced Area by the end of the week. This comes as work to fix a gas supply issue nears its conclusion. The update followed an on-site visit by the Abia State House of Assembly Committee on Power and Public Utilities, which sought to understand why nine local government areas have been without electricity.
Bart Nnaji, the Chairman of Aba Power, confirmed to the visiting lawmakers that operations will restart once a specific piece of equipment is installed. This part, identified as a Clutch Gear and Starter Motor, was recently imported from the United States. It was provided by Heirs Energies, the firm that operates OML 17 and supplies gas to the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant.
The power outage began last Thursday after Heirs Energies reported that aging equipment at its Obigbo gas plant in Rivers State had failed. While the area had experienced reliable power since the Geometric Power project started two years ago, the recent equipment malfunction caused this sudden interruption. Aaron Uzodike, head of the legislative committee, expressed concern regarding the impact this blackout has had on the local population that had grown used to consistent electricity.
