02 May 2013, Abuja, – The Federal Government plans to build more dams to boost electricity supply, a statement by the government said in Abuja on Thursday.
The statement, issued by Mr Timothy Oyedeji, the Deputy Director/Head of Press, Ministry of Power, quoted Power Minister, Prof Chinedu Nebo, as saying that the new dams would complement existing hydro-power stations.
The minister said Nigeria needed a robust “Super Grid Network”, estimated to cost N3.4 billion dollars.
He said the Super Grid facility was required to meet international standards in the power transmission and distribution chain.
The minister said other renewable energy sources, such as solar and bio-mass, which were off the Super Grid, would continue to be available for domestic uses.
He said the ongoing rehabilitation works in Jebba and Kainji Dam, were being financed with a World Bank loan and stressed that the current privatisation of power generating companies excluded the two plants.
Nebo gave an assurance that there would be a substantial improvement in power supply nationwide after the completion of the projects.
He described the present metering system as weak, adding that a recent study by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, revealed that the gap in metering would require N77 billion to fix.
He assured Nigerians and investors in the sector of fair regulatory regime, adding that NERC would deliver on its mandate without fear or favour.
