The Benue State governor, Dr Samuel Ortom met with the leadership of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) over 10 megawatts (mw) power plant which he plans to build in the state.
Ortom said the project with construction cost of about $18million would be dedicated to industrial layouts in the state to grow economic activities.
The acting Chairman, Dr Anthony Akah stated that the Commission was ready to assist state Governors on such investments to improve the volume of power available to Nigerians.
“There is regulatory guarantee on your investments. We will get some of our staff to work with your team and guide you through the technical and other requirement for the issuance of a license,” he said.
The Project Coordinator, Contec Global, Mr Shashi Mozumder,also said the firm was already working towards meeting some of the timelines with the award of certificate of occupancy for the project site.
The plant will comprise three turbines of General Electric 3.4mw capacity to be fuelled by gas transported with trucks from oil fields some 300 kilometres away from the site.
Akah also solicited the Benue State Government assistance in the payment of debts owed power investors by MDAs, which he said was suffocating investors. However, the governor said his state was up-to-date in the settlement of its utility bills.
Other concerns raised by Akah was the high incidence of violation of right of ways and accompanying construction and trading activities under transmission lines (high tension wires) that have led to many accidents in the sector.
