TheCable

President Bola Tinubu will inaugurate the Geometric Power Plant in Abia state today.

The power plant, described as the first integrated electricity facility in Nigeria, is located in the Osisioma industrial area of the south-eastern state.

Confirming the development in a post on X, Alex Otti, Abia’s governor, said Peter Obi, the ex-governor of Anambra, arrived in the state for the occasion earlier on Monday.

“Earlier this morning, we had the presence of His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi who came to share in our joy as we are set to commission the Geometric Power Plant in Osisioma and several roads in Aba,” Otti posted.

Earlier this morning, we had the presence of His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi who came to share in our joy as we are set to commission the Geometric Power Plant in Osisioma and several roads in Aba. pic.twitter.com/faQoz534bL

— Alex Otti (@alexottiofr) February 26, 2024

Ahead of the inauguration, the facility’s turbine three was said to have been turned on at 3.39 pm on Sunday, February 25, 2024 — a day after Otti hinted at the historic event.

It is understood that Aba Power Limited Electric, ta new electricity distribution company (DisCo), will take electricity from the plant and supply to nine local government areas — out of 17 — in Abia state.

Described as the biggest investment in the south-east zone of Nigeria, Geometric Power is said to have spent about $800 million on its integrated power project, which includes the building of a 27-kilometre natural gas pipeline, from Owaza in Ukwa West LGA in Abia, to the Osisioma industrial layout in Aba.

Geometric Power Group was founded by Bart Nnaji, a professor and former minister of power.

Nnaji had embarked on the integrated project after James Wolfensohn, a former World Bank president and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former finance minister, visited Aba, on March 17, 2004, and discovered that power supply was a major challenge facing both large and medium scale industrialists in Aba.

Both Wolfensohn and Okonjo-Iweala had appealed to Nnaji to assist with a power plant dedicated to Aba, following the 22MW Abuja emergency power plant he had led a team of Nigerian engineers to build in the federal capital territory (FCT), from 2000 to 2001.

Otti, who recently called for the protection of the south-eastern economy, said the 141MW Geometric power plant would provide an uninterrupted electricity supply to Aba and its environs.