The Abia State Government has said the state’s power market is expanding as planned, and the state is prepared to take advantage of its renewable energy resources to ensure that everyone has access to electricity.
This was said by Ikechukwu Monday, Commissioner of Power and Public Utilities, at the Off Grid Energy Stakeholders Workshop on Abia State Off Grid Regulations Framework in Umuahia, the state capital.
He clarified that the goal of the stakeholders’ involvement, which includes state employees from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, was to provide energy at a level consistent with international standards.
He stated, “The electrical market in Abia State is on track and evolving, and we hope to bring it not only up to national but also worldwide standards.
“The Ministry of Power and Public Utilities has the mandate to assist His Excellency in fulfilling his promise to Abians, and one of his manifesto promises is to use the state’s available renewable energy sources to provide electricity to both underserved and unserved citizens.
“So, for this regulation to cover that sector, we thought it wise that it starts by engaging all the MDAs”
Monday urged attendees to be fully engaged in the workshop and to grasp what the project is and how it will affect Abia State in order to successfully contribute to the policy framework.
He added that the government was working toward this goal after the Electricity Act of 2023, which withdrew electricity off the exclusive list and allowed states the authority to manage their own electricity.
“We are already working on the main electricity law, which covers both the generation, transmission, distribution, and metering sectors of the market, and that measure is before the Abia House of Assembly.
“So, this project is an addition to the electricity law that is particular to the creation of mini-grids in Abia state”.
The Commissioner also hinted that the facilitators were chosen from India and Germany to educate the participants, and that the consultants had previously worked with the federal government on the rural electrification agency at the federal level, revealing that Abia was one of the first states to initiate it.
Also speaking, Kachi Etuluo, Special Adviser to the Governor on Energy, noted that the stakeholders picked were part of attempts to establish Abia as one of the states with an updated energy sector.
Written by Jennifer Amarachi
