Nigeria has announced the completion of the $1.3 billion hydropower project on the Kaduna River near Zungeru, Niger State. The facility is ready to transmit power to the electricity grid, as reported by Energy & Utilities.
The power project has an output of 700 MW and was funded partly by a $984.23 million preferential loan from the Export-Import Bank of China. The federal government provided the rest of the financing.
Construction on the plant started in 2013, carried out by a JV of Sinohydro and China National Electric Engineering Co (CNEEC). The facility has a 90 m high and 1,090 m wide dam, an intake tower and diversion tunnel, and an underground powerhouse.
Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited has won the 30-year concession for the new plant. The company will remit $70 million to the federal government annually throughout the duration of the contract.
Nigeria is working on another 3,050 MW hydropower plant in Mambilla, although legal issues have delayed construction.
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