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NASENI, Chinese firm to establish three power plants

By on December 6, 2013

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure in collaboration with the China Great Wall Industry Corporation is in the process of establishing three plants to boost electricity in Nigeria.

While two of the plants are for the manufacture of transformers and solar cells, the third is a high voltage testing laboratory.

The Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, NASENI, Dr. Mohammed Haruna, stated this in Abuja on Wednesday at a news conference he addressed in company with the Chief Commissioner, China Development Bank, Mr. Lu Yuging.

The three plants are coming at a cost of $171m (about N26.63bn).

According to him, the Chinese government is funding 85 per cent of the project through a loan from the Chinese Development Bank while the Federal Government will provide 15 per cent of the funding.

Haruna said the funding arrangement was part of the Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the Federal Government and the Chinese Government when President Goodluck Jonathan visited China.

He said the financial details of the loan were being worked out with the Ministry of Finance while the technical details of the plants were being analysed with officials of the CGWIC.

The NASENI boss said the three plants were aimed at transforming the electricity sector, adding that the sustenance of the power infrastructure was not possible without local manufacture of parts.

He said, “Among several reasons adduced for the slow progress in the electricity sector, aspects of inadequate installed generation capacities, transmission, distribution and maintenance of capacity, absence of local industries to produce required component parts and services are factors that are critical.

“In the present dispensation of privatisation of the power sector, therefore, NASENI has a major role because of its human capacity and potential to infuse endogenous technical capacity, research and development, power equipment and technology, products development for generation and distribution aspects of the power sector.

 

 

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