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Tag: hydropower

  • Imo Govt urged to develop small hydropower to tackle electricity challenges

    Imo Govt urged to develop small hydropower to tackle electricity challenges

    Renewable energy advocate Christopher Ononukwe has called on the Imo State Government to prioritize the development of small hydropower (SHP) as a sustainable solution to the state’s persistent electricity challenges.

    Speaking on Friday in Owerri, Ononukwe highlighted the untapped potential of Imo’s abundant water resources, including Njaba River, Oguta Lake, Imo River, Otamiri River, Nwaorie River, and the moribund Inyishi Dam. 

    He noted that SHP offers a reliable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuel-based power generation and other renewables like solar and wind.

    He also emphasized the long lifespan and low maintenance costs of hydropower plants, which can operate for over 50 years, compared to solar panels and wind turbines that degrade faster due to harsh weather exposure.

    Ononukwe, who recently attended a two-week seminar on small hydropower in China, urged Imo to leverage its natural resources for energy security and economic growth. 

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    The seminar, organized by the National Research Institute for Rural Electrification (Hangzhou Regional Center, Asia-Pacific) and sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, provided theoretical and practical insights into China’s successful SHP sector.

    “China is leading the world in small hydropower through strategic planning, research, innovation, and implementation. Imo State has similar potential, with numerous water bodies that can be harnessed to generate clean, renewable electricity. What we need is the political will and strategic action to make this a reality,” he stated.

    Ononukwe urged the Imo State Government to take decisive steps to harness the potential of small hydropower. He called for the development of a robust legal and regulatory framework, strengthened policies and institutions like the Ministry of Water Resources.

    “The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Renewable Energy Master Plan (REMP) provide a solid foundation for renewable energy development,” he said. “Imo State can build on this by creating favorable policies, streamlining licensing processes, and providing incentives for private sector participation.”  

    He also emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships (PPPs) and international collaborations, particularly with countries like China, which have advanced small hydropower systems. “Knowledge and technology transfer from China can accelerate the development of this sector in Imo State,” he added.  

    The Imo-born advocate expressed confidence in Governor Uzodimma’s leadership, citing his administration’s efforts to improve infrastructure, security, and economic revitalization. 

    “Small hydropower is not just a solution to Imo State’s energy challenges; it is a pathway to economic prosperity, social harmony, and environmental sustainability. By prioritizing small hydropower, Governor Uzodimma can transform Imo State into a model of renewable energy adoption in Nigeria.”

  • Fed Govt to investors: embrace hydropower

    Fed Govt to investors: embrace hydropower

    The Federal Government has urged investors to consider channelling heavy investments on hydropower the same way they have been investing heavily on solar power technology.

    Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu made the call yesterday in Abuja at the ongoing capacity building training on small hydropower development standards for policy makers, standardisation bureau’s and renewable energy project developers in ECOWAS and EAC.

    The workshop, which drew participants from Africa, was aimed at promoting small hydropower development standards in West and East Africa, under the framework of the “Technical Guidelines for the Development of International Standards for Small Hydropower Plants”, and the GEF funded project, “ Scaling Up Small Hydropower in Nigeria.”

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    Adelabu, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Renewable Energy and Rural Power, Bem Anyangeaor, said small hydropower was critical to bridging the  gap in electricity demand and supply within Africa, especially Nigeria.

    Noting that the ministry of power was working on taking a cue from the Abia State government to decentralise electricity generation to have a lot of small megawatts, the minister maintained that small hydropower was relevant to achieving the country’s climate change objectives, energy transition plans, energy security and the provision of energy access to meet the needs of the teeming population.

  • Hydropower panacea for Nigeria’s epileptic power supply, say experts

    Experts, under the aegis of Nigeria Hydropower Professionals Association (NHPA), yesterday attributed electricity shortages in the country to non-development of hydropower.

    The professionals said Nigeria is ranked an economically water-scarce country due to a lack of investment and management of its water resources.

    The pioneer director of the National Centre for Hydropower Research and Development and Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of NHPA, Prof Bolaji Sule, stated this in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at the inauguration of the association.

    He said: “Nigeria is bestowed with large rivers and natural falls; the main water resources that provide rich hydropower potential are the Niger and Benue rivers as well as Lake Chad Basin. With an estimated 1,800 m3 per year of renewable water resources available, this is not a poor-water country. Yet, it is ranked as an economically water-scarce country due to a lack of investment and management to meet the demand.

    “The total installed capacity is 12,522 megawatts (MW), not including off-grid generation, of which 2,062 MW is hydropower. The total exploitable potential of hydropower is estimated at over 14,120 MW, amounting to more than 50,800 GWh of electricity annually.

    “The roughly 85 per cent of hydropower yet to be developed, therefore, offers solutions to address existing power shortages.”

    Sule described NHPA as a non-profit membership organisation committed to advancing sustainable hydropower development.

    He said: “Nigeria is one of the few countries yet to form its own professional body to champion sustainable hydropower development agenda. From inception 57 years ago, Nigerian engineers have occupied enviable position and made some landmark strides, but foreign experts seem to hold sway in some aspects of our professional practice in the country.

    “Government at all levels in Nigeria normally chooses to patronise foreign contractors and service providers instead of indigenous professionals because of lack of adequate policy framework to protect the indigenous engineering personnel.”

    Also, the association’s President Imoh Ekpo said: “The problems of electricity in this country lie with insufficient generation, transmission and distribution capacity. It is that value chain that is the issue. The more we start developing more of the hydropower withy what we have already from the thermal aspect is the best for this country.

    “So, we need to do that as much as possible. When gas is not available, then the renewable energy, which is non-consumptive, can be used to strengthen other source of power in this country.”

     

  • FG denies privatisation of Dams

    The Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu on Tuesday denied claims that it was privatising the nation’s dams, saying what was being done was hydropower concessioning.

    Adamu said this at the opening of a Media Water Sector Workshop in Abuja.

    According to him, what is being done is to give partial ownership to beneficiaries to develop the hydro power component for the overall benefit of Nigerians.

    “We are not concessioning dams, when we concession, we are concessioning the hydro power component of the dam but the dam itself will still be owned by the Federal Government.

    “What we do is to provide some leasing arrangement for cage fish farming and all others, we concession hydropower for aquaculture.”

    Adamu said the concessioning model, being facilitated by the Infrastructure Concessioning and Regulatory Commission and Bureau of Public Enterprises allows a concessionaire to take custody of the project for a period of time as determined by the financial analysis.

    He added the concessionaire would be responsible for generating hydro power and connecting it to the transmission network made available by the Transmission Company of Nigeria for distribution.

    On Gurara Dam, Adamu said the ministry was negotiating with the preferred and reserved bidder in line with the guidelines of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), to drive the processes to benefit Nigerians.

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    He said that the rule in the guidelines of ICRC stipulated that a Transaction Adviser be involved in the processes.

    “We have concluded that of Gurara where we have 30 megawatts of hydro power plant, all the processes leading to the concessioning have been done, what is left is for us to present it to the Federal Executive Council for approval.

    “We still have to wait because the transmission line is not working and it is not within the purview of the ministry, it is taken by Transmission Company of Nigeria

    “A lot of progress has been made, we hope that by the end of this year, something will happen.”

    The minister stressed that shortlisted firms had been given their request for proposal and analysed in choosing the preferred and reserved bidder.

    He expressed hope that successive administration would ride on what was being done, saying with the coming in of the private sector operators in irrigation, through the Graduate and Youth Empowerment Scheme, more hectares would be achieved.

    Mr Benson Ajisegiri, the Director, Water Supply, with the ministry, said efforts in improving access to water and sanitation led to the inauguration of the Partnership for Expanded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programme (PEWASH).

    Ajisegiri, represented by Mr Abdulhamid Gwaram, said so far, 22 states had indicated interest and signed the PEWASH Protocol, noting that implementation had started in Kano and Ogun states.

    Mrs. Oyeronke Oluniyi, the Deputy Director, Irrigation and Drainage Department, said that the ministry was working to see that irrigated agriculture was promoted in parts of the country.

    According to her, so far, part of the intervention is the Bakolori Irrigation Scheme in Zamafara which has reached 40 per cent completion and has been able to cultivate no fewer than 528,000 tonnes of rice and other cereals.

    Oluniyi called for support from stakeholders to enable the ministry meet its target of irrigation for national development.

    The Director, Press and Public Relations with the ministry, Mrs Kenechukwu Offie, said the aim of the workshop was to educate the media on better reportage of the ministry and its activities.

    She said this was also an opportunity to equip the media with the modern styles and dynamics of quality water reporting.

    NAN

  • ‘$5b Mambilla hydropower for sale on completion’

    The Federal Government may privatise the 3050 Megawatts (Mw) Mambilla Hydropower plant on completion, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said.

    Fashola, in an exclusive interview with The Nation, said the planned privatisation was in line with government’s policy of encouraging private generation capacity.

    He said: “Ultimately we will involve the private sector in the construction and management of the facility because it is consistent with the policy of private generation capacity.

    “But let me say that this is where the role of my Ministry becomes even most defined in terms of policy. Mambilla represents a policy, a policy of renewable energy using water, a policy of energy security for the country that gives us over 3,000Mw, so that we are no longer solely dependent on gas.”

    In comparism, he said: “Look at the UK, they are building a nuclear power plant that they have privatised, but government is still actively involved because they see it as energy for the future. When Mambilla is fully developed and ready, we will hand it over to the private sector,” he stated, adding that Nigeria had to fall back on its sovereign credit rating to borrow the money and deliver the power and someone can come and manage it.

    “If you look at Kainji, Jebba, Shiroro, they are big dams. It was government that built them, but they are now managed by private hands. So these are some of the things government must de-bottle in order for them to happen,” Fashola said, pointing out that if there is opportunity to do the same with solar, government will do it. If we had invested in solar 10 years ago, this is the right time to switch to solar as the rainy season is ending, where your hydro is not as prolific anymore and the sun is now prolific this is what you move to naturally.”

    Fashola also said the government will wade into improving the capacity of the distribution companies (DisCos) as the power distributors currently are behind other segments in the supply value chain.

    The minister said: “The problem with the DisCos is that they don’t have capacity to expand the way it is expected. Their challenges include exchange rate and liquidity, among others. The roll out of excellent services including metering that was expected has not happened in the way we expected it. Some have happened.

    “Second problem is that most of the equipment they bought were old enough, nobody can dispute that. Those equipment must be changed. Some of those equipment had original manufacturers’ rating on the day they bought the equipment. For example, does your 10-year old car run at the same speed after 10 years? No, those are the realities. So those equipment have been de-rated. Even in transmission, sometimes all we need to do is add a new transformer to double the capacity. Those are the things they supposed to do.

    “In the area where the equipment are not de-rated, the population has grown, more people have built houses. So they must expand, that is the problem. How do we solve the problem? We have asked the DisCos to give us the number of transformer they need and their ratings, give us the number of lines – how many kilometres, how many volts. They are doing that work now. How much does it cost? When it comes, we have to take it and ask how we fund it.

    “These are companies where the government owns 40 per cent. We will be able to know what each DisCo needs and what it costs. When we dimension that, we must know who the suppliers are, because we are not awarding contract to anybody. However, I still have to get Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) approval on this and buy everybody’s idea. That is what we must do so the DisCos will inject the additional 2000Mw we are generating into the grid,” Fashola stated.

  • Senate committee applauds FG on water projects 

    The Senate Committee on Water Resources yesterday applauded the Federal Government’s effort in the construction of Kashimbila multipurpose dam and other projects.

    The chairman of the committee, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, made the commendation during budget defense by the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, in Abuja.

    He commended the minister for 2013 budget implementation, adding that construction of dams with hydropower component as well as provision of potable drinking water were projects that require huge amount of money.

    Lokpobiri noted that finance was a major challenge in the completion of projects in the sector.

    Ochekpe said that the present administration was committed to provision of water to Nigerians.

    She said provision of potable water was on the concurrent list of the constitution, adding that the three tiers of government have shared responsibly.

    “While the federal government provides bulk water, it is the responsibility of the states to ensure that such water is reticulated, treated, and distributed to the end users,” she said.

    She explained that if the 2014 appropriation is approved most of the ongoing dam projects across the country would be completed.

    The minister solicited for support of the committee to ensure timely completion of all ongoing projects.