Akwa Ibom State receives electricity from three sources: the national grid through the Aba–Itu 132kV transmission line, the Itu–Adiabo (Calabar) transmission line, and the state-owned Ibom Power Plant.
This means power into the state can come from Abia State, Calabar, or the state-owned Ibom Power Plant.
However, the Itu–Adiabo line from Calabar was vandalised some years ago, leaving the old Aba–Itu transmission line as the only source of grid power supply into the state and generation from Ibom Power.
According to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which operates the national grid, the frequent faults on the Aba–Itu line occur because the line is old and needs reconductoring.
The Aba-Itu line was built decades ago and now has limited capacity. Unfortunately, work cannot commence on the line because the Itu–Adiabo line is still unavailable due to vandalism.
If work begins on the Aba–Itu line now, Akwa Ibom will have no source of grid electricity supply at all.
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The long-term solution is to first rehabilitate the Itu–Adiabo line to ensure the state will still have at least one source of grid power supply before work begins on the Aba–Itu line. An immediate solution is to begin the work on the Aba-Itu line.
Since TCN says the reconductoring of the Aba–Itu line would take about three (3) months, during this period, if Ibom Power has a steady gas supply, it can generate electricity and supply the state in island mode while the Aba–Itu line is being repaired.
Under this arrangement, Akwa Ibom would depend entirely on Ibom Power for those three months because the Aba–Itu line would be under repair and the Itu–Adiabo line is unavailable.
Meanwhile, TCN has raised concerns about frequent vandalism on the Ikot Abasi–Eket transmission line, which evacuates Ibom Power’s output.
If that line were damaged during the repair period, Ibom Power would be unable to evacuate electricity, meaning the entire state would be in a blackout.
According to TCN, when the Ikot Abasi–Eket line was vandalised in November last year, the Managing Director of Ibom Power, Engr. Camillus Umoh had to intervene to ensure it was quickly restored.
TCN further disclosed that youth unrest and community demands for compensation led to the abandonment of some transmission projects in the state. They have called for the support of the Akwa Ibom State government, as the ‘Landlord’, to educate residents on the importance of protecting electricity infrastructure.
For now, the way forward is to support TCN in repairing the ageing Aba–Itu line, ensure Ibom Power has enough gas to supply the state in island mode, and sensitise Akwa Ibom communities on the need to protect electricity infrastructure across the state.
