Nigeria has completed the 700MW Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project in Niger State and is awaiting official commissioning, the Country’s Minister for Power, Engr Abubakar D. Aliyu has revealed.
The construction of the US$1.3 billion project started in 2013.
The project is expected to boost power supply in Africa’s most populous nation.
With over 210 million population, it is worrying that less than half of the population has access to electricity.
During a visit to the Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project site at the weekend, Engr Abubakar Aliyu noted that all the turbines have been tested and plans are being concluded for the project’s official launch.
He said the Transmission Company of Nigeria would soon connect the plant to the national grid to transmit power to the Discos.
According to him, the last time a project like Zungeru hydroelectric power project was executed by the Nigerian government was in the 1960s.
He added that the huge investment in the Zungeru power plant is part of the federal government’s commitment to improving the electricity supply across the country.
Engr Aliyu also said that the facility is one of the priority projects of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Apart from providing more power to Nigerians, the minister said the project is currently employing many Nigerians and would provide flood control, irrigation, as well as water supply.
The governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello commended President Buhari for the completion of the 700MW Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project in the Niger State.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
