Aba Blackout Sparks Calls for Electricity Market Reforms

The city of Aba in Nigeria is experiencing a prolonged blackout due to a disruption in natural gas supply to the Geometric Power Plant. The plant, located in the Osisioma Industrial Layout, has been offline since July 31st at 6:30 p.m., affecting nine local government areas and crippling commercial activities.

FENRAD, the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development, condemned the blackout and called for sweeping reforms to dismantle monopoly tendencies within the Aba electricity market. The group noted that the current arrangement concentrates operational risks in a single provider, leaving consumers powerless when technical failures occur.

Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, FENRAD's Executive Director, stated that 'the current monopolistic arrangement within the Aba Ring-Fence electricity market limits consumer choice and concentrates operational risk within a single network.' He urged regulators to address structural deficiencies in the Aba Ring-Fence electricity framework and strengthen oversight of licensed electricity operators.

FENRAD also appealed to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, ASERA, the Federal Ministry of Power, and the Abia State Government to undertake a comprehensive review of the Aba Ring-Fence electricity framework. The group called for reforms that promote competition, encourage infrastructure redundancy, improve consumer protection, and attract greater private investment into electricity infrastructure.