Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, has said that the ongoing Zungeru hydropower project is deploying the latest technology, which has ensured the shortening of the completion of the core civil construction period by over two years.
He also said that while the project is estimated generate 2.63 gigawatts of electricity, the country would need about 300 skilled professionals for the project.
Speaking on Tuesday during the testing of the unit one of the 700mw plant in Niger state, the minister explained that some parts of the project were built using Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) from General Electric.
He said the implementation of the project will enhance the technical knowledge of Nigerian engineers in line with the Presidential Order No 5 as signed President Muhammadu Buhari.
Jedy-Agba said the people of Niger state stand to benefit in the area of water supply schemes for community use, dry season farming and irrigation, flood control mechanism, aqua-tourism opportunities and increased economic activities.
The Zungeru hydropower project is a 700MW hydroelectric facility being built with Chinese assistance on the upper and middle reaches of Kaduna River in the Niger state of Nigeria.
The project is estimated to cost $1.3billion. Zungeru is the biggest hydropower project under construction in Nigeria. It is also one of the biggest power projects in Africa to avail preferential loan facility from the Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank) of China.
General benefits of the project include the estimated generation 2.64 billion kWh of electricity a year, which will meet close to 10% of Nigeria’s total domestic energy needs.
The project will also provide flood control, irrigation, as well as water supply and fish breeding facilities. The project is expected to provide employment opportunities to more than 2,000 people during the peak construction period
The minister thanked the Chinese government for the cooperation and synergy existing between China and Nigeria which had been pivotal to achieving the progress so far on the project.
Be the first to know when we publish an update
