The electricity minister, Adebayo Adelabu, has pledged to see that the Zungeru power plant is finished and to “then add 700MW to the national grid.”
According to The Cable, since the opening of the Kainji dam in 1968, the Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant has been Nigeria’s largest hydroelectric dam construction.
The power plant, which is located on River Kaduna, consists of four turbines, each having a 175MW installed capacity, for a total installed capacity of 700MW.
Additionally, it has a total water storage capacity of 11,700 million cubic meters, and based on an annual average renewable energy production of 2,460 gigawatt-hours (2,460GWh), it has an economic value of about N132 billion.
While promising greater electricity supply to Nigerians within the next six to twelve months, the newly appointed minister stated in a Friday conversation with journalists that the Zungeru power plant is “about to be completed.”
“The hydropower facility Zungeru 700mw in Niger state, which is due to be finished, would be a significant contribution to the national grid within the next six months,” he had added.
“When it is finished, this will be the largest in sub-Saharan Africa. I’ll make every effort to see that the Zungeru power plant is officially opened and adds 700 MW to the national grid.”
However, a former minister of power, Abubakar Aliyu, asserted otherwise in an earlier remark.
According to Aliyu, the power plant at Zungeru had already been finished and its output had been integrated into the national grid.
“I wish to declare that the Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant became a reality on Thursday, May 25, 2023. We added 700MW to the grid on Thursday. A pictorial picture of the meters showing that the 700MW has been added to the grid has been provided to us, according to information about the testing that began last on Wednesday, May 24.”
The chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Sanusi Garba, echoed Aliyu’s assertion, saying: “The Zungeru power plant has not only contributed 700MW of clean generation capacity but also considerably diversified our generation mix and boosted the nation’s security of supply.”
Although the reason for the discrepancy between Adelabu’s statement and his predecessor’s assertions is currently unknown, a look at the Bureau of Public Enterprises website reveals “ongoing transaction” beside the name of the power plant.
