The Federal Government has connected the 700MW Zungeru Hydroelectric Power to the national grid.
Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu broke the news in Abuja during the send forth party for him and his counterpart, Minister of State for Power, Jeddy Goddy Agba.
The connection to the grid, according to Aliyu, followed the test running that started on Wednesday.
“Today the Zungeru hydroelectric power plant has become a reality, we have as today joined the grid with 700mw the testing started Wednesday night and information has reached us with the as you may recall last two weeks we were there together with members of the national assembly committee on power,” he said.
According to him, the Kashibilla hydroelectric power project – a joint project with the Ministry of Water Resources – had also been completed.
He added that the line of over 240 kilometers in the phase, which is taking electricity to Yandev in Benue State was also completed and commissioned last week.
Aliyu said the Siemens project was at a crossroads on his assumption of office.
He, however, noted that “As I am talking to you now, we have installed a transformer in Abuja here, and is in service. We have installed one in Lagos, Ajah. We have just cleared the mobile substation which is very massive. We have ten of them at the port and the first one is in Ajah substation and some are on the sea coming.”
He recalled that the government presented to the Federal Executive Council a contract for an over 13, 000kilometer distribution line which was approved for the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI).
The minister explained that since the projects are in line, what a process, they are subject to delays.
He was grateful to stakeholders in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) whom he accomplished the feat in the sector with their support.
The minister said there was lack of coordination in the sector when he got to the ministry because the various segments were disjointed.
Aliyu added that “The first thing I realized was lack of coordination after just few weeks of coming to the ministry and I also realized that the various segments was disjointed as no segment was working with the other.
“And I thought electricity is a value chain from generation to distribution so the players must also behave in that manner so there should not be any gap in the way the various segment relate.
“So after three months of studying the sector, I set up the sector working group for all players to have discussions where we achieved almost 90 per cent of what the meeting was intended for.”
