$1.3bn Zungeru Power Project to be commissioned in 2022 – Official

By Nneka Nwogwugwu

The Deputy Project Manager, Li Xiao Ming of the Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project which is expected to add 700 Mega Watts of electricity to the national grid will be ready this year.

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, Xiao Ming outlined the timelines for the commissioning of the projects.

According to him, the first turbine and second turbine which will generate 175 Mega Watts of electricity respectively would be commissioned in the first and second quarters of year just as the third and the fourth ones also be commissioned in third and the last quarter of the year.

It would be recalled that the Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project being constructed by a Consortium of CNEEC and SINOHYDRO is a 700 megawatts (940,000hp) hydroelectric power plant under construction in Niger state, Nigeria.

When completed, it will be the second largest hydroelectric power project in the country behind the 760 megawatts (1,020,000 hp) Kainji hydroelectric power project.

It was also one of the biggest power projects in Africa to secure preferential loan facility from the Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank) of China.

The Deputy Project Manager added that the project was estimated to generate 2.64 billion kWh of electricity annually to meet the 10 percent of the country’s domestic needs, The Nation reports.

Besides, Ming said the plant will also provide flood control, irrigation as well as water supply and fish breeding facilities to host communities and beyond and is expected to provide direct and indirect employment opportunities to more than 2,000 people.