Akwa Ibom Government is owing Accugas Ltd N40 billion for supply of gas to the state-owned Ibom Power Company Limited.
Mr Camillus Umoh, the Commissioner for Power and Petroleum Development stated this during the EXCO Inter-ministerial Briefing/End-of-the-year review in Uyo on Tuesday.
Accugas, a subsidiary of Savannah Energy Plc, is said to have cut off supplies to Ibom Power Plant Ltd a month ago which resulted in a power outage that enveloped the state.
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The dispute over the gas supply and the indebtedness may have led to the sacking of the Managing Director of the power plant, insiders say.
According to Umoh, ‘‘the state government is owing an outstanding debt of N40 billion to our gas supplier, Accugas.’’
He said that the state plans to complete the rehabilitation of the power plant and give power to unserved communities in the state.
“One of the things we are doing is to complete all projects in the Power sector.
“We are taking off with the Etim Ekpo Injection substation and complete 4km of outstanding pipelines of right of way conduction line.
“The intention is to give light to four local government areas of Ika, Etim Ekpo, Ukanafun and Oruk-Anam,” Umoh said.
Umoh whose ministry is in charge of the Ibom Power Plant said that the Specialist Hospital in Uyo, the state capital would be connected to the National Grid by 2025 which according to him would stop the consumption of 2000 litres of diesel daily at the Ibom Specialist hospital.
He said the Ministry would organise a Power Summit to find the way forward in the power sector in 2025.
“I think we have problem with our power sector, we want to declare state of emergency on power in the state.
“We should be able to come out with Power Master Plan in order to know how to work the talk in power sector in the state,” Umoh said.
