By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
Residents of the commercial town of Aba in Abia state have expressed worry over reports of gas leakage and facility process upset on the Associated Gas Gathering (AGG) facilities around the Rivers State capital axis which have caused a considerable electricity shortage in the Aba Ring-fenced Area.
The affected area comprising nine of the 17 local government areas (LGAs) in Abia State.
According to sources who do not want their names mentioned, the incidents occurred in the AGGs in Obigbo and Agbada, both on the outskirts of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
One of the sources said that, “The incidents are at Obigbo near Port Harcourt and at Agbada which is between Port Harcourt city and the airport”.
He stated that an engineer with the NNPC Marketing Limited (NGML), who revealed that the process upset at Obigbo was discovered earlier but “it does not seem as serious as that of Agbada”.
On his part, Engineer Vincent Chukwueke, a respected gas specialist who used to be a top executive with The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), explained that for safety reasons, such incidents may have caused Heirs Energies, the operator of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 17 to suspend gas supply since yesterday to the 188MW Geometric Power Plant in the Osisioma Industrial Layout of Abia, which, in turn, provides electricity to Aba Power for distribution to the Aba Ring-fenced Area.”
“It had to suspend gas supplies so as to quickly resolve the issues at the AGGs”, Chukwueke said.
The Aba Power Managing Director, Ugo Opiegbe, confirmed to our correspondent on the telephone that his utility has “been constrained to make do with only 25MW from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) since yesterday when the supply from the embedded power plant was ceased.
“The supply from the NDPHC is a fraction of what we can generate from our three turbines, as each produces 47MW”.
While expressing regret that the reduction in electricity supply “should come during the Easter holidays”, he said.
“We are taking every step necessary to restore full supplies between today and tomorrow, so that our people can continue to enjoy the long holidays,” he added.
