Rural electrification: FG approves concession of 5 hydro dams


The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has said the federal government has approved the concession of five hydro dams to facilitate electricity supply to rural and agrarian communities across the country.

Fashola in a statement issued recently in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mr Hakeem Bello, also stated that the Federal Executive Council Meeting (FEC) had approved the execution of several power projects aimed at achieving more improvement in electricity distribution in the country.

He said the concession of the five hydro dams was sequel to the recommendation of the ministry and its water resources counterpart.

The minister said: “The ministries had recommended that six hydro power resources be concessioned to private sector investors to increase the nation’s power supply by 16.49MW, to cater for the power needs of their immediate and essentially rural communities.

“However, the five small and medium hydro power plants approved to be concessioned, include the 6-MW Ikere Gorge Dam in Ekiti state, to be concessioned to Messrs Power Control and Appliances Limited.

“2MW Omi-Kampe Dam in Kogi, to be concessioned to Messrs Quaint Power and  Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, the 300 KW Zobe Dam and 4 MW Jibiya Dam in Katsina state to be concessioned to Messrs Pan-African Global Infrastructure. The 3-MW Bakolori Dam in Zamfara state to be concessioned also to Messrs Pan-African Global Infrastructure’’.

Fashola said among the approvals received from the FEC meetings on memos presented by him, was that for Aso Villa to benefit from the Eligible Customer Policy.

He said the council also approved a distribution expansion programme to take-off part of the stranded 2,000 MW to provide dedicated power to the Villa.

“The ministry had earlier obtained approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), following its letter to the Bureau, intimating it of the council’s approval of the distribution expansion programme,“ he said.

Fashola said the intention of the ministry was to procure civil works that would facilitate uninterrupted power supply to the Aso Rock Villa.

“The project is to be executed by Messrs Dextron Engineering Ltd, has a completion period of six months under the distribution expansion programme.

“An arrangement has also been put in place such that a GenCo, North-South Power Company Limited will procure the dedicated supply to the Villa from the National Grid.’’

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