Nigeria’s first integrated electricity distribution company (DisCo) has put plans in place to ensure the speedy rollout of its mass meter from next week.

As a result, the company has formed a high-powered team of 10 individuals led by Alfred Ategie, the head of the metering team.

Aba Power plans to roll out 40,000 metres

The company stated that the mass metering rollout will provide 20,000 prepaid meters this month and another 20,000 in May in the Aba Ring-fenced area, comprising nine local government areas.

The Guardian reports that the project team include Anthony Ike Alozie, the chief financial officer at Geometric Power, Aba Power’s parent company, Ini Uyo, Geometric Power’s head of finance, Edise Ekong, the senior manager in charge of Branding and Communication at Aba Branding Communication, and Simeon Akpata, utility team’s head.

Reports say, Aba Power’s managing director, Ugo Opiegbe, described the project as a cross-sectional one because it comprises people from different departments of the firm.

He said they will not only bring their various insights into the metering implementation but also help to address existing and new challenges.

Geometric Power to begin dedicated line construction

The development comes after Geometric Power began the construction of a dedicated line to connect industries along the Port Harcourt Expressway in its ring-fenced area (REA).

Geometrics REA comprises nine of the 17 local governments in Abia State.

New line to supply 24-hour power

The N1.8 billion project is expected to be completed in three months.

Geometric Power Chairman, and former Minister of Power, Bart Nnaji, disclosed this as he flagged off the construction.

According to him, the dedicated double-circuit 33KV commercial line to industrial areas will mean a 24-hour power supply and high-quality power availability, carrying big machines and equipment.

Nnaji said the line will supply electricity directly from the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant to the industrial clusters sharing a boundary with Rivers State.

Multinational firms relocating to Aba

He said that big firms like Oilserve, an Indigenous oil and gas pipeline construction and servicing company, will benefit from the new construction.

Oilserve is handling the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta-Kano-Kaduna (AKK) pipeline project connecting Nigeria, Algeria, and Morocco.

Other companies in the cluster area include the Nigerian-British University and Blue World Pharmaceutical, a Foods and Cosmetics firm, planning to begin drug manufacturing in line with WHO specifications.

The move will enable Nigeria to start exporting pharmaceutical products on an industrial scale.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said 60% of Nigerian manufacturers rely on self-generated power due to poor supplies from electricity distribution companies (DisCos).

Aba Power managing director, Ugo Opiegbe, said that multinational corporations are returning to the DisCo because of constant and affordable supplies since the gas challenges were resolved in December 2024.

According to Opiegbe, Neimeth Pharmaceutical is building a manufacturing plant in Aba due to improved electricity in the state.

Reactions as Aba Disco Hikes Electricity Tariff by 100%

Legit.ng earlier reported that an electricity distribution company in Abia state, Aba Power Limited Electric, has recently hiked electricity tariffs by over 100%, following approval from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

According to the statement on its official X (formerly Twitter) page @AbaPowerOnline, the new tariff has taken effect on January 1, 2025.

Aba Power Limited Electric (APLE) had approached the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to demand approval to raise the electricity tariff to N240 per kilowatt-hour.