FG MOVES TO DELIVER 24-HOUR POWER TO ABUJA INDUSTRIAL ESTATE

The Federal Government has commenced a major electricity project aimed at providing uninterrupted power supply to businesses operating at the Idu Industrial Estate in Abuja. The initiative involves the development of a 50-megawatt gas-powered electricity project, with the first phase expected to provide 10 megawatts to the industrial area by December 2026.

The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, John Owan Enoh, and the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, announced the plan during the groundbreaking ceremony for the project in Lungi, near Zuba, Abuja. The government said the intervention is designed to address the persistent electricity challenges affecting manufacturers and other businesses in the industrial cluster, many of which currently depend heavily on expensive diesel-powered generators.

Under the first phase, about 10MW will be generated from a location close to the AKK gas pipeline in Zuba and transmitted through a 33kV line to the Idu Industrial Estate. The remaining 40MW is expected to be developed within the estate after the gas pipeline is extended to the area, with the full 50MW capacity planned to be rolled out in phases through 2027.

Officials said the industrial estate currently has an estimated electricity demand of between 300MW and 400MW, highlighting the gap between existing supply and the needs of businesses in the area. The first phase of the project will prioritise small and medium-sized Nigerian enterprises as well as large indigenous companies, while later stages are expected to extend the benefits to more manufacturers operating within the estate.

Tegbe said the Federal Government was also carrying out technical audits of electricity infrastructure across major industrial corridors, including the Lagos industrial axis, Abuja-Kaduna corridor and Enugu-Onitsha axis. He said the government was exploring captive and decentralised power generation to connect electricity generation more directly to industrial consumers, while stressing that challenges involving gas supply, transmission, distribution, vandalism and energy theft must also be addressed to achieve lasting improvements in electricity supply.