Igbeaku Orji 
The dream of pioneering a 24-hour power supply in Abia State is closer to reality as the legal framework empowering the State to regulate its own electricity market was on Monday ratified by Governor Alex Otti.
The Abia State Electricity bill was conceived after the successful experiment with the Geometric Power which presently provides 24-hour power supply to Aba and its ring fence environment comprising nine Local Government Areas.
Otti while assenting to the executive Bill said that with the law, the executive arm of government had the legal backing to pursue its electricity supply independent of the national electricity regulation.
He hoped the 64-page law would support the power initiatives and strengthen the plans of the government to extend power to the rest of the 8 LGAs of the State having sealed the Aba ring-fence with Geometric power limited covering nine LGAs.
“So, this legislation would support that initiative and we are very close to signing an MoU moving forward in that direction. It also would protect prospective investors in power generation.
“In fact, our dream is that if we are able to provide all the required power for Abia, then we will be able to also wheel some power to other parts of the Southeast and south-south to support them and earn some fees for doing that,” Otti stated.
The Governor traced the journey of independent power for Abia State to the era of former President Muhamadu Buhari when the law was passed at the national level.
He explained that Abia was favoured for independent power generation with the Geometric Power already supplying nine LGAs, “Of course, there is embedded power left, right and centre, but Aba Power was the only independent, integrated power, integrated because it is from generation through transmission to distribution.
“I was engaging with Geometric the other time and they said with the capacity they have, they will be able to wheel power to Umuahia from the plant and maybe some other parts of the Southeast without necessarily incurring additional costs other than getting a turbine and putting it in place because all the other infrastructures are already in place,” Otti stated.
He commended the State House of Assembly for the speedy but careful passage of the bill and appreciated the development partners for their input.
Presenting the bill for signing, the Speaker of Abia State House, Emmanuel Emeruwa, described it as a milestone achievement, adding that it is a big business investment for the State and that the State House of Assembly understood the vision of the Governor and was committed to ensuring that he achieved his vision for the people of the State.
In his preview of the bill earlier, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, recalled that the State leveraged on the Electricity Act of 2023 which allowed States to legislate on electricity.
He said the State considered what would work specifically in Abia State before coming up with the bill which provides for power generation mainstreaming, protection against vandalism, distribution and regulations, adding that the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority would soon be established.
