Abuja has signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with 3D Hitech System, SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Corporation, and CGC Nigeria to boost power generation and distribution nationwide.
Power Minister, Chinedu Nebo, charged the companies at the signing ceremony in Abuja to deliver on their promise.
“Nigerians are hungry for power and would still demand for more, even if the output of these MoU were doubled, tripled or quadrupled,” he said.
Nebo commended 3D Hitech for test running 110 mega watts (mw) which will soon be commissioned, adding that the 500mw gas fired turbine to be cited in Ajaokuta, Kogi State will also upgrade the national grid.
He noted that transmission is becoming a major bottleneck in electricity distribution and commended both CGC Nigeria and SEPCOIII for funding transmission infrastructure.
Private sector investment will help inject more life into the transmission network, he added, and pledged that the government will support the companies to fulfil their mandate.
3D Hitech System Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Azi, disclosed that the ground breaking ceremony for the 500mw gas fired turbine to be cited in Ajaokuta will soon be held and gave an assurance of its installation between six and nine months.
CGC Nigeria Managing Director, Li Xuhui, promised that his company will deliver on the MoU it signed to finance and execute transmission projects.
SEPCOIII Executive President, Zhang Hongsong, also promised that his company will give priority to the supply, refurbishing and replacement of transmission materials to help implement the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Since the appointment of Nebo, several companies have entered into agreement with the government to ensure stable power supply.
Mambilla hydro electricity dam in Borno State, under construction for 44 years, is scheduled for completion this month to add 3,000mw to the national grid.
Last month, a team from Global Business Resources USA, a consortium of international investors, visited Nigeria to progress talks on the establishment of two 50mw solar-powered plants in Kumbotso, Kano State and Karu in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at a cost of $106 million.
The Mambilla project, which costs about $7 billion, has been on the drawing board since 1970 to generate over 3,000 mw, “about the biggest” on the African continent, said Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil.
“The Mambilla hydro dam has reached about 95 per cent completion. This is in addition to the new transmission lines across the zone. For us in Borno State, our experience with the Jonathan administration is the best since the state was created.
“We are pushing ahead with the 330kv transmission sub station to be located in the region. And the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has just approved another transformer for the state.
“This is the first time an addition to the transmission capacity of Borno State is being made since 1976,” he stressed.
Officials of Global Business Resources from Bridge Port, Miami, United States, said their mission in Nigeria is to help develop actionable renewable energy generation strategy, using solar power.
The plan includes Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping for renewable energy – as done in Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia – to facilitate rural electrification through Public Private Partnership (PPP).
The aim is to fast track rural electrification in the next five years, leveraging on resources from the Power Africa Initiative.
James Nicholas, who led the Global Business Resources team, promised prompt delivery of the projects, saying that Africa has the most promising solar potential in terms of cost.