Joseph Bakare
Nigerian Government has set up an 11- member project delivery Committee, that will drive its efforts to revive the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) and bring it to full operation in the nearest future.
The Committee comprised three members from ALSCON, two from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), two members from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), two members each from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Federal Ministry of Power.
The Committee is expected to fast-track the connection of 132 kV transmission lines, ensure the completion of the Itu-Aba 132kV line, Itu-Calabar 132kV line, produce a status report and Single Line Diagram (SLD) of the 132k V Line, conduct joint commissioning of 132kV line, including funding requirements.
In addition to the 132kV project, the body is also saddled with the connection of 330kV transmission lines to ALSCON by coming up with the funding requirements to complete the project, produce status project report and of the 330k V Line, and conduct a joint commissioning of the project.
While inaugurating the Committee, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu emphasised the importance of the project, which he said would contribute to the economic growth and development of the country. He said it was the desire of the federal government to see that ALSCON begins operation.
He charged all the Agencies that are involved in revamping the company to work as a team to ensure that it comes alive within a very short time, while urging them to set up a practical working solution.
Adelabu said if ALSCON comes back, it would impact the economy of the country very positively, stressing that power is a critical enabler for continuous operation in the plant and could lead to economic growth.
“It will increase local capacity and create jobs for our people. So, we need to accelerate its activities and avoid delays. We need a lot of collaboration and cooperation to achieve this desired result,” he added.
The minister recalled visiting the company in October last year, adding that ALSCON had reached out to the Ministry on several occasions regarding the importance of reliable, stable, and uninterrupted power at the plant and the need for the plant to be connected to the national grid.
The representative of UC Rusal, the majority shareholder of ALSCON, Viacheslav Krylov, said the company was ready to work and collaborate with the federal government in addressing the challenges facing the power sector especially in the provision of electricity.
He revealed that ALSCON has an in-built 540MW installed, gas-fired turbines for power generation, primarily for operations. He however added that the excesses would be transferred to the grid.
Krylov emphasised the importance of an alternative power supply for emergency basis in order to guarantee continuous operation in the plant when gas supply line is disrupted, thus the need for grid connection.