The Federal Government has unveiled plans for additional 1459MW from 20 power plants to the national grid in 2017 to bring power generation above 6,000Mw.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola, who revealed this at the weekend, said despite the 3,000 megawatts (MW) lost to gas pipeline vandalism, power generation peaked at 4,010 MW as at November 5.
Fashola said 37 federal universities and seven teaching hospitals would get 120 MW from 37 independent gas and solar power plants to begin the fulfilment of the constitutional requirement of rural electrification
“In addition to transmission, we are working to complete uncompleted power generation projects. Some of the projects that should start coming to conclusion in 2017 are the 215 MW Kaduna Power, 40 MW Kashimbilla Power (Hydro), 40 MW Gurara I Power (Hydro), 29 MW Dadin Kowa Power (Hydro), 10 MW Katsina Power (Wind) 1,125 MW (14 Solar projects) and the 240 MW Emergency Power Project for Afam (Gas).
“Egbin has restored all its turbines even though it has suffered a gas outage as a result of vandalisation. Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro have increased the number of functional turbines, so they are producing 300 MW extra power during this year’s rainy season, more than they did last year,” Fashola said.
He explained that the second anchor of the ministry’s Rural Electrification Implementation programme would involve the use of small hydro dams to support agriculture and agro processing by providing power.
He added that the ministry had also done the audits and planning of all the schools in rural areas to benefit from the programme.
