Ibom power to undergo system upgrade, maintenance

The 586 MW Ibom power plant wholly-owned by the Akwa Ibom government is to undergo routine maintenance and  system upgrade  that would result in the company being  shut down for at  least 45 days.

The plant recently recorded 198 days of continuous power generation without any outage, a development that aided the provision of uninterrupted power supply in many parts of state.

Meyen Etukudo, the managing director of the company who made this known in Uyo, the state capital said during the period, gas supply to the company would be disrupted adding that units would not be generating electricity.

“During this period, gas supply to Ibom power plant will be disrupted and consequently our units will not be generating” the MD stated.

He however allayed the public’s concern about the lack of power supply in the state during the period of the system upgrade and maintenance adding that  the National Control Center (NCC) and Odukpani power plant, Calabar will be responsible for the supply of electricity to Akwa Ibom State during the period.

According to him,  the system upgrade and maintenance is necessary for safety, statutory compliance and operational effectiveness of both Ibom power plant and gas supplier.

He said during the upgrade and maintenance period, Ibom Power will restructure its operations and notify the relevant stakeholders as progress is made.

Meanwhile, the management of Ibom power company says  that during the period of the system upgrade and maintenance, internal and external trainings will be organised for staff members.

It  advised staff to identify training needs and work with the Human Resource (HR) Department to embark on such trainings within the period. “Those who have not taken their annual leave can use this period to embark on that leave upon obtaining appropriate internal approvals,’’  the management said.