IKOT-ABASI, Nigeria — The Federal Government has announced plans to restore power to the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON), a move that could inject up to 540 megawatts (MW) into the national grid and generate thousands of jobs.
Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu made the pledge during a working visit to the ALSCON facility in Ikot-Abasi, Akwa Ibom State. He said the plant’s revival would not only strengthen electricity supply but also create an estimated 15,000 direct and indirect jobs once fully operational.
Adelabu expressed regret that, nearly four decades after ALSCON’s establishment, the lack of dedicated power supply had prevented Nigeria from benefiting from the multibillion-naira investment.
“Thirty-seven years after its conception, ALSCON remains underutilized due to power challenges,” Adelabu said. “We are aware of the enormous potential of a facility like this — from upstream to downstream aluminium conversion — to create jobs, support local industries, and reduce foreign exchange spent on imports.”
The minister said a temporary connection to the national grid would be implemented while long-term power solutions are developed. He also addressed the abandoned 330kV substation in the community, built by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and left incomplete at 90 percent.
Adelabu assured stakeholders that the substation would be completed “within the shortest possible time,” calling it essential to unlocking ALSCON’s full value.
ALSCON was conceived in 1989 and completed in 1998. It was privatized in 2006 and taken over by the Aluminium Smelting Company of Russia (RUSAL). Despite its potential, the facility has remained largely dormant due to persistent power supply issues.
The minister said the government’s renewed efforts align with its broader commitment to expand electricity access by 2030, in line with Vision 2030 and the Tanzania Declaration.
“I have come to meet with stakeholders — the company owners, Transmission Company of Nigeria, NDPHC, and contractors — to devise immediate and medium-term solutions to ALSCON’s power challenges,” he said.
