The Federal Government, on Sunday, announced that testing has commenced on the 700 megawatts Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant ahead of the evaluation of electricity from the facility to the national grid.
It also stated that the $1.3bn project, located in Niger State, had been connected to the national grid, in contrast to claims in some quarters that the plant was not connected to the grid.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this while providing answers to industry questions contained in a document released in Abuja on Sunday by his Special Adviser, Strategic Communication and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji.
The Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant is a major infrastructure project with the capacity to generate 700MW, making it the second-largest hydroelectric plant in Nigeria, behind the Kainji Dam.
Located in the Kaduna River, near the town of Zungeru in Niger State, the plant is to generate 2.64 billion kilowatts-hour of electricity annually, meeting nearly 10 per cent of Nigeria’s domestic energy needs.
The plant provides flood control, irrigation water and fish breeding facilities and its construction partners include the consortium of Chinese firms (Sinohydro Corporation Limited and China National Electric Engineering Company).
