Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has announced that the state is no longer affected by power outages resulting from repeated collapses of Nigeria’s national grid, following new investments in renewable energy generated from organic waste.
The governor made the disclosure on Thursday while speaking to journalists at the Government House, Umuahia.
Otti explained that his administration has begun converting waste materials into biogas, which is then used to generate electricity for residents. He added that the development has effectively reduced the state’s dependence on the national grid and shifted regulatory oversight to the state level.
According to him, the new power arrangement has been successfully negotiated with and accepted by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), which oversees electricity distribution in the state.
“This is a pilot programme. Instead of throwing away waste, we can turn it into clean energy, and we will be able to power a lot of places, particularly the Umuahia industrial clusters.
“I had reported earlier that our proposals to EEDC have been accepted, and we are in the process of raising funds to settle outstanding obligations to EEDC.
“On December 24, the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority took over the regulation of power from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). So everything about distribution, generation, and transmission will now be regulated within the state.
“The whole idea is to ensure efficiency and independence in power regulation, just as Aba Power currently provides electricity for the Aba industrial clusters.
“You would have noticed that during some of the recent national grid collapses, our state was not affected because a significant portion of our power assets is now under state control.
“That is the whole idea behind acquiring the entire Umuahia industrial clusters.
“I am happy that we are making significant progress in that regard,” he said.
His remarks come against the backdrop of another national grid failure, which collapsed for the second time in 2026 on Tuesday, plunging several parts of the country into darkness.
