The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to reviving the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, as part of a broader strategy to strengthen the country’s power generation capacity and industrial output.

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, made this known during a working visit to the company, where he pledged to ensure ALSCON’s reconnection to the national grid after nearly three decades of dormancy.

In a statement, Adelabu expressed concern that despite the huge investment in ALSCON, the facility has remained largely unproductive due to a lack of power supply. He, however, assured that the government has mapped out short- and medium-term plans to restore electricity to the plant and make it fully operational.

According to him, the smelter, with an installed capacity of 540 megawatts (MW) — comprising six 90MW turbines — has the potential to contribute significantly to Nigeria’s electricity supply once fully reactivated.

“These huge investments by the country have suffered from lack of power supply in the last 27 years, as they have not been connected to the grid, and we are very much aware of the huge potential of an institution like this in the upstream, midstream and downstream conversion of aluminium, that can create a lot of employment for our teeming youths.” the minister said.

He revealed that the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) is currently constructing a 330/132KV substation and 330KV DC transmission line from Ikot Ekpene to Ikot Abasi, which will enable the evacuation of the entire 540MW to the national grid.

Adelabu further hinted at plans to expand the plant’s capacity to 660MW through circuit optimization.

According to him, with the open circuit line, each turbine could generate an additional 20MW, increasing total output to 660MW. This will be a major boost to the grid and national economy.

“I’ve listened to the company, I’ve listened to all the stakeholders, and we have a solution in sight. All we need to do now is to go back and work on all the agreed action lines, which I will personally supervise,” he said.

The minister added that the revival of ALSCON could create over 15,000 direct and indirect jobs, with an initial target of 3,000 employees once operations resume within 90 days of implementing short-term solutions.

Addressing concerns about gas supply, Adelabu stressed the need for a commercially viable pricing model between the company and gas suppliers to ensure steady fuel availability.

“I believe this can be resolved with appropriate pricing. The gas pipeline is working very well. There’s a power company here that is getting gas. This is less than 500 meters from here. So the gas pipeline is working well. It’s a matter of agreeing to the correct price, or the right price, with the gas company, and the turbines will be fired immediately”, he said.

The Federal Government’s renewed push to revive ALSCON marks a critical step in its plan to enhance energy sufficiency, industrial productivity, and employment generation across Nigeria’s power and manufacturing sectors.