Gas Supply Disruption Throws Nine Abia LGAs Into Darkness
Nine local government areas in Abia State have been thrown into darkness following a sudden disruption in natural gas supply to the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant located at the Osisioma Industrial Layout in Aba.
The affected areas, which form the Aba Ring-fenced Area, have experienced a power outage since about 6:30 p.m. on Thursday after the plant, which supplies electricity to the region, was unable to operate due to the gas shortage.
The Managing Director of Aba Power, the distribution arm of the Geometric Power Group, Ugo Opiegbe, confirmed the development in a statement on Friday, apologising to customers affected by the blackout.
Opiegbe explained that the interruption was caused by technical challenges being experienced by the company supplying gas to the power plant.
“Gas pressure has significantly dropped in the last 24 hours,” he said, adding that the pressure from the supplier’s facilities was no longer sufficient to power the plant’s turbines, each with a capacity of 47 megawatts.
Although Aba Power did not name the gas supplier, reports indicate that Heirs Energies has been supplying gas to the Geometric Power Plant over the past three years through its Associated Gas Gathering (AGG) facilities in the eastern part of the country.
However, an official of the Nigeria Gas Marketing Limited (NGML), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), said there was enough gas available to power the plant.
According to the official, the major challenge was the inability of Heirs Energies to exchange its gas supply with NGML due to limitations affecting its AGG facilities.
Heirs Energies took over operations of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 17 in Owaza after the Federal Government declined to renew Shell Petroleum Development Company’s licence during the previous administration.
Energy experts said the company has made significant progress as an indigenous operator but still faces inherited challenges, including ageing infrastructure and years of limited investment in facilities.
Mechanical engineer and energy consultant Dike Ejike explained that some infrastructure challenges were linked to the long legal dispute between Shell and the Federal Government over the licence renewal process.
Aba Power’s Managing Director said it remains unclear when the gas pressure issue will be resolved, suggesting that the blackout may continue beyond the next 24 hours.
An Abuja-based engineer, Uche Elugwu, described the situation as unfortunate, noting that Aba residents had enjoyed improved electricity supply before the disruption.
He said the interruption highlights the vulnerability of Nigeria’s power sector to challenges outside the control of electricity distribution companies.
