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The Abia State Government said it has intensified reforms in the power sector aimed at strengthening regulation, improving supply reliability, and consolidating the state’s emerging electricity market framework.
The Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, said this in Umuahia on Monday, while briefing reporters on the outcomes of the State Executive Council meeting.
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Mr Monday said the state government had issued interim licences to key operators as part of the ongoing reforms in the state electricity market.
He said that Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority recently granted interim licences to three companies, comprising two distribution firms and one generation company.
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According to him, the distribution licences issued to Aba Power Limited, which serves the Aba Ring-Fenced area, and New Era Limited, would handle Umuahia and parts of Abia North, while Geometric Power operates as the generation company.
Mr Monday explained that the interim licences were part of a transitional process to migrate existing permits previously issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to the state regulatory authority.
He said those were the results of the establishment of the Abia electricity market.
He also said that the process allowed for technical and commercial reviews, after which full licences would be issued to operators across designated clusters in the state.
“The market is fully operational, and what we are doing now is ensuring proper transition and regulation under the state framework,” the commissioner said.
He further explained that over 100,000 meters had already been deployed in Aba by Aba Power Limited as part of the efforts to eliminate estimated billing and improve accountability in electricity consumption.
He said that similar metering expansion would take place in Umuahia, while new investments were expected in the Umuahia ring-fenced area.
Mr Monday also said that the government was engaging communities to ensure cooperation in power infrastructure deployment, adding that some disruptions were being addressed through stakeholders’ consultations.
He said that the state power project in the Abam axis, which involved transmission line construction, had reached advanced stages, adding that efforts were ongoing to resolve isolated incidents affecting infrastructure.
Abia water supply
On water supply, the commissioner said that the state government was implementing several rehabilitation projects across the state.
Mr Monday further said that USAID Small-Town Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (STWASH) programme and the World Bank Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Sanitation Hygiene (SURWASH) initiative would facilitate improvements in access to potable water in the state.
He said that the USAID STWASH project, initially delayed, now had a confirmed financier, describing it as a grant-based intervention aimed at restoring potable water in selected communities.
According to him, the project covers rehabilitation of water schemes in Ubakala, near Umuahia, and Ariaria axis in Aba, with linkage to existing storage facilities on Okigwe Road to improve distribution.
Mr Monday said that work was ongoing at the CKC Water Scheme in Aba, which is expected to serve parts of the city upon completion of the first phase.
He also said that the Ubakala Water Scheme had also commenced, while plans were underway to expand coverage to additional households.
He explained that the SURWASH programme, supported by development partners, would rehabilitate water and sanitation infrastructure across the three senatorial districts of the state.
The commissioner listed ongoing interventions to include the Abangwu Water Scheme in Arochukwu, Amiyi Water Scheme in Isiala Ngwa South, and the Umuahia Urban Water Scheme.
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He said the projects were being implemented in phases to accommodate population growth and ensure sustainability of water supply systems originally built in the 1980s.
He also said that the government was planning reticulation works to connect rehabilitated schemes to households across the areas concerned.
Mr Monday promised that the administration remained committed to restoring potable water supply across the state, adding that community sensitisation and stakeholders’ engagements were integral to project implementation.
(NAN)
