The Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has disclosed plans to create a hub for power exportation in areas that lack evacuation in a bid to confront the nation’s power challenge.
Nnaji stated this while receiving the Abia State governor, Theodore Orji, in his office in Abuja. He noted that revitalising certain economic regional centres like Aba, Lagos, Kano and Onitsha among others, with uninterrupted power supply would provide jobs and check youth restiveness.
He maintained that “solving the riddle of electricity scarcity, which is President Jonathan’s primary agenda, was a huge task that required the tapping of every stranded power in the country to gainful purpose.”
Speaking further, he said, “Nigeria has power in the Eastern region, Ajaokuta and Kaduna, but cannot evacuate it for transmission to other parts of the country.”
The minister, who identified the progress of the National Integrated Power Plants (NIPP) as the immediate delivery of the sector, acknowledged the cluster of power plants in the Eastern region, hence the siting of geometric power in Aba to provide value to its environs and beyond.
Speaking earlier, governor Theodore Orji stated that Abia State had a power capacity of about 128MW, adding that efforts were being made by his administration to settle the issue of compensation on the Alaoji NIPP land with a view to moving the industry forward.
He also called for the ministry’s assistance on the 32KVA line in Ohia to facilitate the electrification of Abia North Senatorial Zone.
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