In a status update report following his first 50 days in office, in which he highlighted his reform agenda for the power sector, the minister reassured that many of the lingering challenges in the power sector are now being addressed in a methodical, systematic, and proactive manner.
The 3,050MW Mambilla Hydroelectric Project in Taraba State conceived 40 years ago has been bugged by unresolved legal tussle which as delayed its take-off.
The federal government and the contractor who was first awarded the contract for the construction of the plant are yet to resolve the legal tussle that ensued after the contract was re-awarded to a consortium of Chinese firms.
Recall that Siemens Nigeria and the federal government in 2020 entered into a Power Infrastructure revamp agreement. It is a government-to-government agreement. The Nigerian Electrification Roadmap (NER) is a partnership that will expand Nigeria’s electricity capacity from the current average output 4,500MWh/h to 25,000MW.
“We are confident that the NER will succeed because of the pedigree of Siemens and their footprint in the Global Power Industry,” Aliyu said.
He revealed that the first phase of the PPI is the upgrading and expansion of the vital infrastructure of the TCN and Discos with the end goal of achieving 7,000MW. “This first phase started in earnest this year, with the ongoing pre-engineering phase. The selected EPC Contractors will soon be contracted officially so work on the project implementation can commence.”