Two federal government departments are working with the private sector to add 3,595 megawatts of electricity to the nation’s power system.
According to documents received from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, the ministry was working along with the Federal Ministry of Power and commercial operators to produce 3,595MW of power from dams.
According to the FMPR’s most recent report on dam and reservoir operations, the federal government has partnered with members of the private sector to build nine dams that will generate the required amount of energy.
Nigeria now produces between 3,500MW and 4,500MW of electricity. According to data acquired from the FMP on Sunday, at 6 am on Sunday, the grid’s off-peak and peak power generation were 3,317.3MW and 4,600.5MW, respectively, whereas the previous day’s off-peak generation was 3,883MW.
According to the FMWR’s report, “The Federal Ministry of Water Resources is working with the Federal Ministry of Power to create (nine) hydropower projects under a Public Private Arrangement.”
It listed the dams and the amount of energy produced from each one, listing the Makurdi hydroelectric dam (1,500 MW), Lokoja (750 MW), Katsina-Ala (460 MW), Gurara II (360 MW), and Tede (220 MW). A few others were Mangu (182 MW), Itisi Dam (40 MW), Kiri (36 MW), and Farin Ruwa (20 MW).
A dam is a barrier constructed across a watercourse to impound or divert water. It helps in water supply, irrigation, and hydropower generation, among others. The report stated that Nigeria had over 400 dams, located in various parts of the country and owned by the three tiers of government.
“These dams, if efficiently operated and maintained, can provide 11.2 billion cubic metres of water for irrigation, water supply and hydropower generation across the country,” the FMWR stated.
Commenting on dams under the management of the ministry, the Minister of Water Resources, Sulieman Adamu, stated that out of the 37 ongoing dam projects inherited by the current administration, 12 had been completed, while 20 had been prioritised for completion by 2023.
“Of the 41 inherited ongoing water supply projects, 16 have been completed while eight have been prioritised for completion between now and 2023,” he stated.
Adamu added, “Of the 38 inherited irrigation projects, 10 are fully completed while eight are at different advanced levels of completion.
“Intervention in water supply has brought about the completion of many projects with a total capacity of 386,213,690 litres/day and enabling 15.1 million population coverage within the last 6.5 years.”
