The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Power Company has entered into a significant Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Financing (EPC&F) contract valued at $328,818,916.99 with the China Machinery Engineering Company (CMEC) group to improve power supply throughout Nigeria.
During the signing ceremony held in Abuja on Wednesday, Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, stated that the project will involve the rehabilitation and extensive construction of 330 kV and 132 kV transmission lines as part of Phase 1 of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI). This initiative aims to prevent stranded capacity within the grid.
Adelabu noted that the project, which has a load capacity of 7,140 megawatts, will serve as vital conduits for delivering the increased power generated by Nigeria’s midstream transmission projects directly to homes, businesses, and industries. He emphasized that the project is intentionally designed to integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure.
“By prioritizing the upgrade and expansion of our transmission network, we are tackling a major bottleneck in the power sector. This initiative will lead to significant improvements in the reliability and accessibility of electricity for millions of Nigerians, ultimately driving economic growth, creating jobs, and enhancing the quality of life for our citizens.
I want to emphasize that this project will require substantial investment in high-cost transmission lines and critical substations, which are vital national assets. We urge all Nigerians to work together to protect these assets, as they will be funded by taxpayers’ money. Even if financing is involved, the repayment will ultimately come from taxpayer contributions.
If we damage our transmission or distribution infrastructure, we are undermining our own resources. Therefore, it is essential that we safeguard these assets diligently to ensure a consistent and reliable power supply for our people,” he stated.
