Gas supply to the 188MW Geometric Power Plant in Aba, Abia State, has resumed just three days after it was suspended due to a process upset and a gas leak in the associated gas gathering (AGG) facilities of a leading indigenous oil and gas company in neighboring Rivers State.
Gas flow resumed Monday night and by 9:02 pm, one of the plant’s 47MW turbines began generating 25MW, according to mechanical engineer and power consultant, Dike Ejike, who confirmed the development in a morning interview with the press.
He further explained that the power available to the people of Aba in nine of Abia State’s 17 local government areas has now reached almost 65MW, as Aba Power, the electricity distribution company of the Geometric Power Group, continues to receive 25MW from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to supplement the power generated by the Geometric Power Plant.
“More individuals, businesses, industries, non-profit organizations, and communities have been receiving supplies since the gas supply issue was resolved, and supplies have been growing,” he added. Cliff Eneh, a prominent Lagos-based power consultant and former top executive with the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), commended Heirs Energies, operator of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 17, for its swift resolution of the issue.
Heirs Energies supplies gas to Geometric Power and other customers.
“The engineers and the entire technical team at Heirs Energies,” Eneh noted, “worked tirelessly and efficiently in a way typically associated with international oil companies (IOCs) like Shell, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Chevron, Agip, British Petroleum, etc. But Heirs Energies is a new indigenous Nigerian firm giving the nation hope.”
He praised their unwavering commitment, saying, “They did not care that it was a weekend or the Easter holiday period, but worked with tremendous commitment and dedication to fix the problem, so that electricity customers in the Aba Ring-fenced Area would have light during this critical period.”
Eneh expressed confidence in the capabilities of Nigerian engineers, saying, “I am confident that Nigerian engineers will go places if given the opportunity.”