“With the liberalization of the power sector by the federal government, giving states the full legal rights to regulate the generation, transmission and distribution of power in their various states, Abia has taken the lead in the area”
Yesterday, leaders of the South East gathered in Enugu to chart a new road map for the development of the region in the next 50 years. The event was organized under the auspices of the South East Development Commission.
Governors on the five South East States spoke on different issues that affect development in the region.
Governor Alex Otti spoke on the critical linkage between industrialization and energy as one of the key pillars to our development as a people.
The Governor’s written speech is already in the public domain but I want to isolate one key suggestion he made in the speech which captures the way the mind of this Governor works.
He took time to highlight the success of the power sector in Abia State, especially in the Aba ring fenced area which is currently powered by Geometric. It is true that today, the areas under the Aba ring fence enjoy reasonably steady power that is fully independent of the national grid. This has positively influenced the economic life of Aba and adjoining areas within the ring fence.
With the liberalization of the power sector by the federal government, giving states the full legal rights to regulate the generation, transmission and distribution of power in their various states, Abia has taken the lead in the area.
Apart from the establishment, by law, of the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Agency (ASERA), which now regulates everything about power in Abia State, the State Government has bought over the assets of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) owned by Interstate Electrics in the Umuahia area covering the entire Abia North. What this means is that excess power from Geometric which is currently wheeled to the national grid, can now be wheeled into that Umuahia area, thereby ensuring that the entire state will enjoy home grown, home generated, home transmitted power that is stable and reliable.
Otti now made what I consider a very powerful and ingenious suggestion for the South East Regional Economic Development.
Since industrial growth and economic development won’t be possible without stable power, and because building brand new power plants is expensive and time consuming, taking up to 20 years, like the case in Abia, the most practical approach is to increase the generating capacity of Geometric by adding more turbines to the existing plant. These additional turbines will generate more power which can be wheeled to all the states in the South East at competitive commercial rates.
The good thing is that this is not just a mere proposal. Plans are currently afoot by the Otti administration, working in collaboration with Geometric Power to acquire another brand new turbine to increase the capacity of Geometric.
Otti’s presentation yesterday wowed the participants at the event including Vice President Kashim Shettima. They are practical, bankable and achievable.
One fact that is undeniable is that when it comes to issues around power and energy, Abia is clearly in the lead, not just in the South East but in the country.
Believe it or not, this Governor came prepared. FULLY PREPARED.
