The supply of power to the the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) has been approved by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari.
The move, according to Buhari, is to ensure that the nation’s economy is revamped through the mineral and metals sector.
In a demonstration of his administration’s resolve to resuscitate the company and return it to full production capacity, the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah reiterated during his extensive tour of the ALSCON facility in Ikot-Abasi, Akwa Ibom.
Ogah said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) described the approval to connect the company to the national grid as a sign that Buhari’s administration is committed to ensuring that the ALSCON is functional due to its great economic potential.
ALSCON is unarguably one of the largest Aluminium smelting companies in Africa.
Ogah, in a statement that was released by the Director of Press, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Mrs. Etore Thomas, stated that the company could employ about two thousand Nigerians when it began full operations.
He added that the federal government would provide all necessary support to see that the plant is up and running.
The minister called on stakeholders and operators to ensure they always obtain the relevant licences and pay due royalties to the Federation Account in order to enable government meet its obligations to the citizens.
The Managing Director of the ALSCON, Zavalov Dmitry, revealed that shortage of gas supply forced the plant to shut down in 2014.
Dmitry, however, disclosed that the company has commenced plans to restart the plant and appealed for the provision of alternative sources of gas supply because “globally, industries that produce metal always have two sources of supply of gas.”
Udoh stated that the Akwa Ibom State Government is in support of federal government’s decision to resuscitate the ALSCON plant.