State-wide Blackout Hits Akwa Ibom as Gas Supply to Power Plant Stops

Residents of Akwa Ibom are grappling with a state-wide power outage following the suspension of gas supply to the state-owned Ibom power plant by Savannah Energy, the Ibom Power Company Limited (IPC) has announced.

The IPC attributed the blackout to two key issues, the disruption of gas supply to the Ibom power plant and a reported fault on the 132kV Itu-Aba transmission line, which ordinarily transmits power from the national grid in and out of the state.

The company also highlighted, in a statement, that before the outage, the state was exempted from the nationwide power outages caused by at least 12 national grid collapses this year because the Ibom power plant continued to supply the State on Island Mode.

“Regrettably, our gas supplier, Savannah Energy recently sabotaged the laudable efforts of Ibom Power by cutting off the gas supply to the lbom power plant. This loss of gas supply coincided with a reported fault on the 132kV Itu-Aba Transmission Line, which transports power from the national grid in and out of the State, hence the state-wide outage,” the statement read.

The statement added that Savannah Energy claims underpayment from Ibom Power as the reason for halting the gas supply, despite ongoing efforts to resolve the matter.

Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is reportedly working to repair the damaged transmission line to facilitate power imports into the state.

The IPC assured residents of its continued engagement with Savannah Energy to restore the gas supply and resume electricity generation at the Ibom power plant.

However, no timeline for resolution has been provided, leaving Akwa Ibom residents uncertain about when power will be restored.