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From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
After several months of dormancy, Federal Government, yesterday, assured that the German power company, Siemens AG, will begin operations in the first quarter of 2022.
Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, who gave this assurance in Abuja, at a workshop organised by the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria (PCAN), said that all was set for the takeoff of the deal.
According to the minister, President Muhammadu Buhari’s has put everything in place for the partnership to work, adding that the project has the capacity to expand Nigeria’s electricity from the
current 4,500MW to 25,000MW.
“The Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) which began in 2021 in three phases and is estimated to be completed in 2025. The phases cover the upgrading and expanding the transmission networks (TN) and Distribution Companies (DisCos) networks; improvement of access to affordable, efficient and reliable electricity and providing support of industrial and economic growth in the country. This first phase which began in 2021 will go on for a period of 10 months with the end
goal of pushing to 7,000MW. So far, there has been no hitch as the team is currently on the pre-engineering phase. The second phase will raise the availability to 1,000MW and the third phase will raise the availability to 25,000MW.
Given Siemens AG’s accomplishment of a similar plan in Egypt and also its reputation as an international giant in the power sector related engagements, it is strongly believed that the Nigeria Electricity Roadmap (NER) is possible and achievable” he said. The minister also explained that the government was currently evaluating the procurement process and was confident that a positive outcome will emerge.
