Nigeria plans to build a $4 billion coal power plant in Benue state, Chairman of Pacific Energy, Adedeji Adeleke disclosed at the commissioning of the Electric Training Centre in Olorunsogo Power Plant, built by SEPCO llI and Pacific Electric Power, in Ogun State, western Nigeria.
According to Mr Adeleke, the $4 billion coal power plant will be able to generate 120 megawatts at full capacity which will tackle the country’s perennial energy problems.
Insufficient power generation has long been a thorn in the flesh for citizens and businesses in Africa’s second largest economy. However, the western Africa giant has coal, which is the pertinent raw material for the project, in abundance and is also known to have the cleanest type of coal in the world, with huge deposits in Benue, Enugu, Kogi and Gombe states.
Recently, the Nigerian government has embarked on series of projects, including bilateral agreements with China and Siemens, to improve the power sector.
According to Mr James Olotu, Managing Director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), the bilateral relation between Nigeria and China has yielded positive results as “four gas turbines, with the capacity to generate 500MW into the national grid subject to availability of gas”, human capacity development and transfer of technologies, which are key to efficient, effective sustainable development of industry and the country’s future growth has been recouped since the agreement was signed.
Aside initiating a deregulation/privatisation process for the power sector, the Federal Government has also promised a 20, 000MW generation at the completion of the deregulation by December, 2012. This was reiterated by the Mr Adeleke at the commissioning of the Electric training centre.
It is believed that more opportunities for growth and socio-economic development will be created when the country’s power sector is fully privatised at the end of the year.
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