700 MW Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Facility Undergoing Testing — FG Announces

THE 700 megawatt Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant is already undergoing testing, according to the Federal Government, in preparation for assessing the plant's ability to supply electricity to the national grid.

It further declared that, contrary to assertions made by some quarters that the plant was not connected to the grid, the $1.3 billion project in Niger State has been connected to the national grid.

This was disclosed in a document made public in Abuja on Sunday, April 7, by Adebayo Adelabu, the minister of power, and Bolaji Tunji, his special adviser for strategic communication and media relations.

According to industry analysts, the project is anticipated to significantly increase Nigeria's electricity generation and support regional economic development.

Speaking about the plant on Sunday, April 7, Adelabu stated that the concession process had also been completed and that the facility was complete.

 

He said, “The payments by the concessionaire have been made and the official handing over of this plant has been done to the concessionaire, which is Mainstream Energy Limited, who are the current operators of Kainji and Jabba hydroelectric power plants.

“The stage we are now in is technical handing over by the Chinese consultants that built the Zungeru hydroelectric power plant to the concessionaire. This is because there is a one-year defect liability, where these contractors need to be on the project site to ensure that whatever problem occurs within one year, they can fix it.

“They are working earnestly with the concessionaire and the Ministry of Power, together with the Bureau for Public Enterprise to ensure that we conclude the technical handover of the plant.

“I can tell you that the testing stage started yesterday, that the power generation at the plant started yesterday, and that it will last about one or two weeks, after which total production will start. And I can tell you with good authority that the Zungeru power plant can evacuate power. Therefore, it is complete disinformation to say it is not connected to the national grid.”

Recall that in May 2023, Nigeria's electricity generation experienced a surge following the Federal Government's announcement that it had linked the Zungeru Hydroelectric electricity Plant to the national grid.

In an Abuja send-forth ceremony organized by power sector authorities for him and the former Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, the former Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, had declared the plant's connection to the grid.

“I want to say that today the Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant has become a reality. We have today joined the grid with 700MW. The testing started last night and information has reached us, with a pictorial view of the meters showing that the 700MW has gone on the grid.

„Recall that the last two weeks we were there together with members of the National Assembly, including the Chairman, Senate Committee on Power. We all visited the site and we are now putting power on the grid,” Aliyu had stated.