ICRC Enhances Oversight of Zungeru Hydropower Project

The Federal Government has initiated a regulatory review of the $1.3 billion Zungeru Hydropower Project in Niger State, which has been operating at approximately half of its 700-megawatt capacity, supplying about 350 megawatts to the national grid. The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has increased its oversight to identify and resolve legal and operational issues affecting the plant's performance.

This decision followed a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja that included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Power, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Bureau of Public Enterprises, and Penstock Limited, the project's concessionaire. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, the Director-General of the ICRC, emphasized the importance of optimizing strategic Public-Private Partnership (PPP) power assets like Zungeru to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's commitment to resolving Nigeria's power challenges.

The Zungeru Hydropower Project, located on the Kaduna River, is a key investment aimed at enhancing electricity generation and stabilizing the national grid.