By Adedayo Akinwale
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Legacy Awareness and Campaign, a voluntary think-tank group has said that the 2021 completion date for 700MW Zungeru Hydropower Plant, which will be one of the biggest power plants in the country remains sacrosanct.
The group stated this in a statement issued Wednesday and jointly signed by the party’s Youth Leader, Mr. Ismail Ahmed, former party scribe, Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu, Presidential aide, Mr. Tolu Ogunlesi and the Director General of Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Dr. Salihu Lukman, while giving the scorecard of the present administration in the power sector.
The group said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari since 2015, had focused on completing inherited projects, many of which had been abandoned or facing funding challenges; Resolving the liquidity issues faced by players in the sector; Promoting off-grid/renewable initiatives, especially targeting underserved communities and vulnerable populations; and ensuring robust consumer protection for on-grid electricity consumers.
Aside this, it said the Buhari Administration had embarked on the completion of 40MW Kashimbila Dam and Hydropower Plant; 10MW Katsina Wind Farm; 30MW Gurara Hydroelectric Power Plant, which was completed and concessioned to the private sector in 2020.
It added: “The 700MW Zungeru Hydropower Plant is scheduled for completion at the end of 2021 – it will be one of the biggest power plants in the country.
“New Projects: New projects started by the APC-led President Buhari administration are the private-sector-led Azura Power Plant in Edo State (460MW), for which the financial close was facilitated in 2015/2016, and which was completed in the first quarter of 2018, several months ahead of schedule.”
The group stressed that the Buhari administration also built the Afam Three Fast Power Plant, with a capacity to generate 240MW of electricity.
It noted that following a competitive bidding process, that new plant has been sold, alongside the neighbouring Afam Power Plc (966MW installed capacity), to Transcorp Plc, in demonstration of the administration’s belief in the managerial capacity of the private sector.
It further noted that the National Mass Metering Programme was launched in August 2020, in line with a presidential directive to ensure that all Nigerians receiving electricity from the national grid are metered.
