British high commissioner praises Geometric Power model, says it’s impressive
By Jeffrey Agbo
British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has described the model of the Geometric Power in developing the Aba Independent Power Project in Abia State as impressive.
“The Geometric model is impressive,” he said after inspecting the facilities in the $800m power project which comprises a 188-megawatt gas-fired plant with an embedded distribution firm that provides electricity to nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State.
“It represents the kind of innovation needed to drive sustainable development across Nigeria.”
Montgomery was accompanied by the Abia State Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Engineer Ikechukwu Monday, and was received on arrival by the Geometric Power management led by its chairman, Professor Bart Nnaji, a former Minister of Power.
Commissioned last February 26 by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Aba Independent Project was started in 2004 on the recommendation of the then World Bank president, James Wolfonsohn, and the then Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, when they visited Aba in March 2004 and discovered that the lack of reliable electricity was the main constraint to the realisation of the city’s enormous manufacturing potential.
They requested Professor Nnaji, a leading Nigerian engineering professor in the United States who had earlier led a team of Nigerian engineers to build the 22MW Abuja Emergency Plant, to consider establishing an independent thermal plant in Aba for small, medium, and large industrialists.
High Commissioner Montgomery also lauded the “state-of-the-art facilities” at the power utility.
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The utility, licensed to produce 188MW, has three installed General Electric (GE) turbines and has built four brand-new substations and refurbished three old ones inherited from the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
“It has, in addition, provided 150,000 kilometres of overhead wires and cables,” says Ben Caven, a former PHCN executive director in charge of engineering, transmission, and generation who is now the Geometric Power managing director.
“Our steel tubular poles, with 10 metres buried in the ground to withstand any natural disaster like an earthquake, match the ones in San Francisco in the United States and Tokyo in Japan.
“We have also built a 27-kilometre gas pipeline from Owaza in Ukwa West LGA to the Osisioma Industrial Layout in Aba.”
The British diplomat said that given the technical sophistication attained by Geometric Power, he would like UK firms to work with it.
Nnaji praised the British High Commissioner for the visit, adding that when Geometric Power overcomes the ongoing gas supply challenges in the next few weeks, Aba would be receiving about 100MW while about 50MW would be exported to the national grid to boost electricity in other parts of the country.
The Abia State Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities commended Governor Alex Otti for his “relentless support to Geometric Power for its key role in the state’s industrialization”.
Other Geometric Power executives who interacted with the British High Commissioner delegation are the Geometric Power Group Managing Director, Mrs. Agatha Nnaji, Managing Director of Geometric Power Aba Limited, Engr. Ben Caven, Aba Power Managing Director, Ugo Opiegbe, and the Geometric Power Chief Financial Officer, Tony Alozie, the Aba Power Chief Operating Officer, Engr Blessing Ogbe, Facilities Manager, Geometric Power Group, Mr Adeniyi Adebiyi, as well as Hannah Yangchi, Principal Manager, Projects.
