Nine completed and ongoing hydropower projects across the country are estimated to add 2,672 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.
The information is contained in Federal Government document outlining the status of the country’s hydropower sector, which was obtained from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR) in Abuja.
According to the document the nine projects, located in five states of Kaduna, Taraba, Gombe, Benue and Nasarawa, include; the 30MW Gurara I hydropower project in Kaduna, completed and put on concession; 360MW Gurara II plant, also in Kaduna, with its engineering, procurement and construction contract already awarded.
Others are the 40MW each; Kashimbila, Dadin-Kowa and Itisi hydropower projects located in Taraba, Gombe and Kaduna states respectively. The document noted that both the Kashimbila and Dadin-Kowa hydropower projects have been completed and are ready for concession, while an agreement had been signed with Kaduna State Government with regards to the Itisi project.
The ministry stated that the Bawarku Hydropower project was in its Outline Business Case approval stage by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission as the Makurdi project was undergoing re-validation of the ICRC certification while the ninth power plant, the 20MW Farin-Ruwa Hydropower project in Nasarawa State, has been awarded and would soon add to the quantum of electricity on the national grid.
The document read in part: “Nigeria has a hydropower potential of 12,220MW, unfortunately, less than 2,000MW of this has been developed at Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro Dams. This explains the urgency of harnessing the nation’s hydropower potentials to meet the country’s power needs.”
According to the FMWR, since 2015 government has been pursuing the goal of completing the many inherited hydropower projects across the country and has recorded some level of success.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, says the Federal Government is not contemplating privatising its Dams, rather it has concession some of the facilities, particularly those for power generation.
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