Buhari to bequeath 22,000 megawatts generating capacity of electricity by 2023- Minister

The Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu says that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration will bequeath about 22,000 megawatts installed capacity of electricity by 2023.

He said this at the Presidential Score Card of the Ministry of Power in Abuja.

The programme is an annual event where the various ministries present their achievements to the media and the general public.

Aliyu said the adminstration had embarked on several transformational projects to bequeath an additional 4,000 megawatts generating capacity to existing megawatts.

He said as part of the plans to achieve the 4,000 additional megawatts, the 700 megawatts Zungeru Hydro Power Plant would be completed in the first quarter of 2023.

Aliyu said the administration would work toward operationalisation of the 240 megawatts Afam III and 300 megawatts Okpai Phase II among others.

“We will set the country on a stable path for 10,000 megawatts of supplied energy.

“Today we are at 8,000 megawatts with 5,000 megawatts on-grid and above 3,000 mega watts of industrial captive off-grid and we will leave an installed capacity of almost 22,000 megawatts,” he said.

According to the minister, there are ongoing programames with facilities and investments secured at more than three billion dollars to eliminate the gap between transmission capacity and supplied energy.

“The Hydropower component of the Kashimbilla Multipurpose Dam was designed and upgraded from six megawatts to 40 megawatts.

“This was in phase one of the evacuation infrastructure, covering 245km of 132kv transmission lines and three substations, connecting Takum, Wukari, Rafin Kada, Dounga and Yandev in Taraba and Benue States.

“The Phase two of the evacuation infrastructure is currently at 45 per cent completion level.

“This is covering 56km extension of the 132 kilovolt (kV) transmission line from Yandev to Makurdi and complete rehabilitation of the Yandev substation.

“Phase two of the evacuation infrastructure will lead to the electrification of 24 host communities, including Zaki-Biam, Anyi, Buruku, Birama, Bibi, Shibong, among others within Benue State,” he said.

Aliyu said his administration had changed the narrative of the sector from consumption spending on subsidies to real infrastructure spending.

“In the recent October billing cycle, the sector recorded a new milestone with the highest ever collections in history at N74 billion,” he said.

The minister said the ministry was not unmindful of the lower income citizens, who did not always receive adequate electricity.

He said the ministry would continue to protect lower income earners by maintaining subsidies for lower tariff bands while allowing those with adequate power to pay relatively higher prices.

According to him, tariff shortfalls had been reduced by more than 80 per cent, while the ministry is on the path to having sustainable market that can pay for itself.