Heirs Energies has resumed gas supply to the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant in Aba, Abia State, after completing turnaround maintenance at its associated gas gathering facilities in Agbada, Rivers State.
The development is expected to support the restoration of electricity supply across the Aba Power ring-fenced area, where recent gas shortages had disrupted power generation and affected businesses and other economic activities.
Managing Director of Geometric Power Ltd., Dr. Nonso Okolo, confirmed that Heirs Energies had begun releasing gas to the plant, adding that most parts of the area covered by Aba Power were already receiving electricity.
According to him, the interruption in gas supply had adversely affected socioeconomic activities in Aba, which is one of the major commercial centres in the Southeast.
The Geometric Power plant supplies electricity to the Aba Power distribution network, which serves nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State.
Okolo said Aba Power was also working to clear localised faults on some feeders, with the aim of restoring reliable electricity across the ring-fenced area.
The recent disruption highlights the connection between gas infrastructure and electricity generation in Nigeria, where gas-fired plants depend on steady gas deliveries to maintain output.
The situation in Aba was linked in part to ageing gas infrastructure on the eastern flank of the country. Industry experts cited by Channels Television said some of the region’s gas pipelines are between 50 and 60 years old, contributing to intermittent supply challenges affecting power plants and industrial users.
A mechanical engineer and power consultant, Dike Ejike, said two developments had improved the situation at the Geometric plant: the replacement of a critical gas pressure-pumping component and the completion of the turnaround maintenance at the Agbada associated gas gathering facility.
He said the maintenance had helped recharge the gas supply system.
The development is significant for Aba because the Geometric Power plant and Aba Power were designed around a dedicated power supply arrangement for businesses and residents within the ring-fenced area.
Heirs Energies has been a major domestic gas supplier to the Nigerian power sector. The company has previously said it supplies gas to Geometric Power as well as other power generators and industrial customers.
The latest resumption also puts attention on the condition of gas infrastructure supplying power plants in the Southeast and the investment required to prevent maintenance-related or infrastructure-related disruptions from repeatedly affecting electricity generation.
For Aba businesses that depend on relatively stable electricity from the ring-fenced network, the immediate test will be whether the restoration of gas supply translates into sustained generation and reliable distribution in the coming days.