Electricity supply in the Federal Capital Territory has worsened as the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company continues with load shedding following the shutdown of the Shiroro power plant for a major maintenance evaluation.
For about two weeks now, FCT residents have complained about poor supply of electricity, especially from 8am to 5pm, a development, which has drastically affected business activities within the city.
A source at the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company told our correspondent that the current load shedding was due to the Shiroro power plant shutdown.
The source, who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter said, “I can confirm that there is a drop or decrease in the supply of electricity.
“On our part, I will say that we are not receiving the full electricity allocation due to us, and this is a valid reason for such drop in power supply.”
The Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Power, Mr. Beks Dagogo-Jack, had last week met with the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Ganiyu Umar, and the CEO, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Mr. Olusola Akinniranye, to deliberate on the issue.
It was learnt that the shutdown resulted in the loss of 130 megawatts from February 12, 2013.
They, however, said the complete shutdown of the plant was necessary to ensure a safe working environment for technicians and evaluators.
A statement from the PTFP quoted Dagogo-Jack as saying, “We need to ensure that this mandatory shutdown for facilities evaluation is conducted as diligently and as quickly as possible so that residents are not subjected to undue inconvenience.”