With over 200mw hydro power set to come on stream in 2017 in northern Nigeria, the Ministry of Power’s incremental power plan seems to be on track.
Projects such as the 40MW Kashimbilla Hydropower project in Taraba State, 100MW Hydro Power Plant project in Tiga, Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano State and the 30 Megawatts Gurara Hydropower Plant in Kaduna are some of the projects lined for completion in 2017.
Mohammed Garba, the state’s Commissioner of Information told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on December 20 that the 100MW Hydro Power Plant project in Tiga, has reached 85 per cent completion and will be inaugurated by the first quarter of 2017.
“The power project will also contribute to boosting the state’s economy because most of the companies in the state will benefit from it,” Garba said.
In October, Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, inspected the 30 Megawatts Gurara Hydropower Plant in Kaduna and said the additional power would boost efforts to stabilize power supply in the country.
Fashola said the project would be completed early 2017. He also said that work will expedited on the Gurara/Kudenda Substation in Kaduna where energy would come down for distribution adding that approval had already been given for the building of the substation.
According to the minister, the Gurara hydropower project was also a source of transporting energy, added that the place was supposed to evacuate power from that location through to Kaduna and Mando substations to Kudenda substation to connect to the Kaduna Power Plant.
When he also paid a visit to the 40MW Kashimbilla Hydropower project in Taraba State in September, Fashola assured that the Dam, would serve the purpose of protecting parts of the country from a predicted ecological disaster, provide electricity and support agricultural ventures in surrounding States of the Northeast.
Experts say Nigeria should build on the momentum witnessed in renewable energy in 2016 and expand on policies that will attract increased private sector participation.
Godwin Aigbokhan, renewable energy market adviser, National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria says two critical issues that ought to be addressed are funding and capacity development to deepen private sector participation in the sector as current growth is fuelled by favourable government policy.
“Financing is one part, policy is another and the sector desperately needs capacity building.”
ISAAC ANYAOGU
