GE partners Geomtric Power to increase capacity to 1,080mw

Bart Nnaji,  former minister of  power , now   chief executive officer  of Geometric Power, has urged  president  Muhammadu Buhari to  select competent  hands to take charge of  all institutions responsible for having sustainable power supply, just  as he disclosed  that his  company is  planning  to upgrade the capacity of its plant from 500mw to  1,080mw, with  the  support  of  General Electric company (GE) of the US.

The  former minister, who said the  transition  committee of    President  Muhammadu Buhari has had discussions with him on the way out of the  current problem  involving  Geometric and  Enugu Electricity  Distribution  companies, said the matter would resolved very soon to allow for the companies to resume power generation.

When active ,Geometric Power will supply electricity to Aba, a commercial hub in Eastern Nigeria where quality shoes, clothes and other goods are produced. Nnaji said   government   has  to have an effective way of “ensuring   that we  don’t  go back and  forward for the power  sector”, adding that  “the power  we have now must be sustainable and we should continue grow it.

“ This means the issue of generation, that is the fueling of the power must be assured and the evacuation of the power  must be there.”

Nnaji further said government must put conscienscious and knowledgeable persons in key positions in its agencies which handle power, finance and justice among others. 

   Nnaji  who spoke at the West Africa Power  summit , organised by Flintxposures Nigeria Limited in Lagos, said  regular  gas supply  to the  power sector is critical because without it , the power sector would be crippled. 

To ensure that the plan enjoys robust  financial support, the company has appointed Standard Chartered  Standard Bank as financial advisers for the first phase of the plant.

“We have a 1,080 megawatt project in partnership with General Electric. The power goes to the national grid. What we are doing is to build up power projects in this way,” he said.

He also said Geometric Power is in discussions with some Chinese, European and U.S. investors and expects financial close by year-end.

Olusola Bello