By Our Energy Correspondent
It no longer makes economic sense for any manufacturing company to set up an alternative power plant to provide electricity for its operations in Aba and its environs in Abia State. So says Aba Power Managing Director, Ugo Opiegbe.
In a telephone interview with our reporter this morning, Mr Opiegbe remarked that backup electricity generators, known in the power sector as captive plants, are no longer required in the area because Aba Power Electric Ltd, now provides sufficient and quality power in its coverage area.
The company serves nine of the 17 local government areas (LGAs) of Abia State, including Aba industrial area..
“Two weeks ago, we marked 60 days of uninterrupted power supply in the Aba Ring-fenced Area. That was possible because we received steady supply of natural gas from our partner, Heirs Energies, which operates the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)/Heirs Energies joint ventures”, Opiegbe recalled.
“A few days after we marked the achievement, there was an interruption for a few hours due to a technical hitch at a gas facility belonging to our partner. But gas supply was quickly restored, showing that Heirs Energies, a Nigerian firm, is set to compete effectively with international oil companies (IOCs). So we have confidence based on system trials that the future is even brighter than today.This is good news for the Nigerian people,” he said.
Reminded by our correspondent that some multinationals, including a European firm famous for producing beverages in Nigeria, are still reportedly setting up captive power plants in Aba, Opiegbe said:
“The decision to set up such captive plants is understandable. Such decisions must have been taken many years ago, before businesses, individuals, and communities began to receive steady power supply from our facility. Now, electricity supply in the Aba ring fenced area can be taken as given.”
Opiegbe revealed that European manufacturing giants like PZ which receive supplies from his utility have recorded a significant reduction in business costs because they have “practically nothing to do with power self-generation anymore”.
“Generating your own power is very expensive, and industrialists in Aba had been depending on that over the years because they had no alternative. Not to mention that electricity self-generation pollutes the environment.
“With regular and quality electricity supply from Aba Power, the generators have gone silent.
“There is no more noise pollution, nor are there emissions from thousands of small generators which emit smoke that depletes the ozone layer”.
“What Aba Power now offers is a value proposition that makes all-round sense. So businesses here can now afford to invest money earlier earmarked for power generators in other areas”, he declared.
