FG to rehabilitate power plants before privatisation commences

The Federal Government has announced plans to rehabilitate all power generating stations in the country before the generating plants are transferred to the successful private investors.

Speaking at the commissioning of a hydrogen power project in Lagos at the weekend, the Minister of State for Power, Mr Nuhu Way, stated that the Federal Government would ensure urgent rehabilitation of the power plants before the end of this present administration. According to him, “Government is going to ensure urgent rehabilitations of all power generation plants and hydro stations across the nation. These hydrogen plant will ensure capacity power generation of about 1,320 Mega Watts during full operation.”

The hydrogen power project at the power station was valued at N922 million and it aimed at boosting power generation and guaranteeing effective power distribution in the country.

Hydrogen power plant at power station serves as cooling mechanism to generating turbines in the generating plants and will reduce the risk of relying on external source for hydrogen for plant production.

The Acting Chief Executive officer of Egbin Power Station, Mr Mike Uzoigwe, applauded the commissioning of the hydrogen power plant which had been down since 2008.

He stated that “the hydrogen plant serves a better purpose in the life of power station; it may affect output for as low as 30 per cent.”

“Today marks a turning point in the history of this station; for more than two years, we have journeyed every week to Delta Power Station to fill bottles of hydrogen with which we have running this plant. The contract was awarded to Messer Valenz Holdings Nig. Ltd which is a variance of 21 per cent foreign component of the contract at the sum of N 922 million in 2009,” he added.

The hydrogen plant has two trains with a cell capacity of 13.5stdm /hr and a rank of eight bigger gas cylinders with a capacity of 312.5 stdm/hr.

Source : Tribune