The Federal Government has inaugurated a 11- member project delivery committee to bring the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria, ALSCON, into full operation.
Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu inaugurated the committee which comprised three members from ALSCON, two from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, two from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and two members each from the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Federal Ministry of Power.
In its terms of reference, the committee is expected to fast-track the connection of 132 Kilo Volt (KV) transmission lines, ensure the completion of the Itu-Aba 132kV line, Itu-Calabar 132kV line, produce a status report and Single Line Diagram of the 132k V Line.
The committee is also expected to conduct joint commissioning of 132kV line, including funding requirements.
In addition to the 132kV project.
It was also saddled with the connection of 330kV transmission lines to ALSCON by coming up with the funding requirements to complete the project.
” Produce status project report and SLD of the 330k V Line and conduct a joint commissioning of the project.
Inaugurating the committee, the minister of power emphasised the importance of the project, which he said would contribute to the economic growth and development of the country.
He said it was the desire of the Federal Government to see that ALSCON began operation.
He also charged all the agencies involved in revamping the company to work as a team to ensure that it came alive within a very short time.
Adelabu urged the committee to set up a practical working solution to ensure that ALSCON impacts the economy of the country very positively.
” Power is a critical enabler for continuous operation in the plant and could lead to economic growth.
” It will increase local capacity and create jobs for our people. So, we need to accelerate its activities and avoid delays.
” We need a lot of collaboration and cooperation to achieve this desired result”.
The minister, while recalling his visit to the company in October 2025 added that ALSCON had reached out to the ministry on several occasions regarding the importance of reliable, stable, and uninterrupted power at the plant and the need for the plant to be connected to the national grid.
Mr Viacheslav Krylov, a representative of UC Rusal, the major shareholder of ALSCON, said that the company was ready to work and collaborate with the federal government in addressing the challenges facing the power sector especially in the provision of electricity.
He said that ALSCON had an in-built 540 Mega Watts installed, gas-fired turbines for power generation, primarily for operations.
He, however, added that the excesses would be transferred to the grid.
Krylov also emphasized that an alternative power supply was important for emergencies to guarantee the continuous operation of the plant when the gas supply line was disrupted and therefore highlighted the need for a grid connection.
NAN
