By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has announced that the 700 megawatts Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project located in Niger State would be commissioned in the first quarter of 2023.
This was made known by the Minister of Power, Mr Abubakar Aliyu, during an inspection visit to the Power Plant in Zungeru, Niger State. He noted that the dam is estimated to cost $1.2 billion and is expected to add 700 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.
The Minister, accompanied by the Secretary to the Government of Niger State (SSG), Mr Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, at the inspection, said the project was at the 98 per cent completion stage.
According to an official government statement, the Minister went around the major operating units of the power project and pointed out that the project has promising potential.
“The Zungeru project is at 98 per cent completion stage. Presently, work on the three of the turbines each producing 175 Mega Watts of electricity, has been completed and tested”.
Expressing satisfaction with the level of commitment exhibited by the contractors, he assured that the completion of the Zungeru Project would add 700 Mega Watts to the national grid.
According to him, “the Zungeru Power Project was part of Federal Government strategies to reposition power generation in phases in the country”.
The Secretary to the Government of Niger State (SSG), Mr Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, said the state government has shown a high commitment to implementing the project.
“The Zungeru Power Project is a multi-purpose electricity project that has abundant agricultural potential for the host communities to harness,” he noted.
Similarly, the Project Manager, Mr Abiy Getahun, who took the Minister around the project and his entourage, assured that work would be completed on schedule, adding that insecurity that hindered the smooth running of the project has been tackled.
Modupe Gbadeyanka