The Zungeru hydropower project is estimated to generate 2.64 billion kilowatts of electricity annually.
In a document from the Chinese embassy in Abuja on Saturday, the project amounted to $1.3 billion and it is to generate 2,630 GWh energy with a total installed capacity of 700MW.
The document read, “The project which costs about $1.3bn (₦162.9 billion), is the biggest power project completed in Nigeria in the past ten years and one of the biggest power projects in Africa to avail preferential loan facility from the Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank) of China.
“The main components of the Zungeru hydropower project include a 2,400m roller-compacted concrete gravity feed dam, an underground powerhouse located behind the RCC dam, a tailrace channel, and two switchyards on both banks of the river.
The construction works on the power plant started in May 2013.
On August 15 2023, the project was successfully handed over to the Nigerian government.
The hydropower project which is located on the Kaduna River in Niger State, Nigeria, is a 700MW hydroelectric facility built by a Chinese consortium comprising Sinohydro Corporation Limited and China National Electric Engineering Company.
The Zungeru hydropower project is a testament to the China-Nigeria partnership at its best and is set to make a significant contribution to Nigeria’s power generation capacity.