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FG targets 540MW with power restoration at ALSCON
By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has pledged to restore the power plant at the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON), saying the facility could contribute up to 540 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid.
Adelabu who made the commitment during a working visit to the company in Ikot-Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, noted that the revival of the plant would not only boost power supply but also create about 15,000 direct and indirect jobs when fully operational.
The minister lamented that, 37 years after its establishment, the lack of dedicated electricity supply had prevented the country from reaping the benefits of the huge investment in ALSCON.
He said a temporary plan to connect the company to the national grid would be undertaken while efforts continue on how to provide a long-term power solution.
On the abandoned 330kV substation in the community built by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and about 90 percent completed before it was left abandoned, Adelabu expressed concern over its dilapidated state.
He assured that the government would ensure its completion “within the shortest possible time,” stressing that it was the only way to maximize the value of the investment in ALSCON.
The minister recalled that ALSCON was conceived in 1989 but not completed until 1998. Following the 2006 privatization exercise, it was taken over by the Aluminium Smelting Company of Russia (RUSAL).
“These huge investments have suffered due to lack of power supply in the last 27 years,” Adelabu said, adding: “We are aware of the enormous potential of a facility like this, in the upstream, midstream, and downstream conversion of aluminium, to create jobs for our youths, supply raw materials to local industries, and save foreign exchange spent on imports.”
He said the government’s renewed efforts align with its commitment to provide electricity to the majority of Nigerians by 2030, in line with Vision 2030 and the Tanzania Declaration.
“I have come to meet with stakeholders, the owners of the company, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), NDPHC, and the contractors, to devise immediate and medium-term solutions to ALSCON’s power challenges,” he added.
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