Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja

The Federal Government on Tuesday signed a concession agreement for the Gurara 30 megawatts hydropower plant with North-South Power Company Limited.

The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, stated that following the agreement, all was now set to put the hydropower plant into sustainable operation towards increasing access to electricity in Nigeria, especially in Kaduna State.

He said the public-private partnership model being adopted would accelerate infrastructural development and enhance their effective and efficient operation and maintenance.

Adamu noted that with the experience that had been gained from the concession process, his ministry was set to accelerate the pace of engagement with the private partners for other opportunities.

The minister urged the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and all other stakeholders for continued support to enable the ministry to achieve this vision.

The Director-General, ICRC, Chidi Izuwah, appreciated Adamu for his efforts in the concession process and said the project would not only add 30MW to the existing power generation capacity of the country but would also bring N17.6bn revenue to Nigeria.

The Director, Water Supply and PPP, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Benson Ajisekiri, said the concession process started on October 25, 2015, and received the final approval of Federal Executive Council on April 18, 2019.

The Permanent Secretary, FMWR, Comfort Ekaro, signed the concession agreement on behalf of the ministry.

Source: https://punchng.com/fg-sets-up-panel-to-revive-ajaokuta-steel-plant/