FG: Zungeru Power Plant to Deliver 2.63gw Electricity Annually

•Abuja Disco reorganises, taps ex-Eko distribution MD

Emmanuel Addeh

When completed,  the ongoing Zungeru hydropower project will generate 2.63 gigawatts of electricity and employ 300 skilled professionals, the federal government has said.

Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, who spoke during the testing of the unit one of the 700mw plant in Niger state, said the dam deployed the latest technology which has ensured the shortening of the completion of the core civil construction period by over two years.

According to him, some parts of the project were built using Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) from General Electric.

He said the implementation of the project will enhance the technical knowledge of Nigerian engineers in line with the Presidential Order No 5 as signed President Muhammadu Buhari.

Jedy-Agba noted that the immediate benefits of the project to the people of Niger will include water supply schemes for community use, dry season farming and irrigation, flood control mechanism, aqua-tourism opportunities and increased economic activities.

He thanked the Chinese government for the cooperation and synergy existing between China and Nigeria which had been pivotal to achieving the progress so far on the project.

Meanwhile,  Abuja Electricity Distribution Company Plc (AEDC) has announced the appointment of Mr Adeoye Fadeyibi as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

Fadeyibi, succeeds Akinwumi Bada, who served as the company’s Interim Managing Director since last year and is now leaving to pursue other personal business aspirations, according to the Distribution Company (Disco).

Prior to joining AEDC, Fadeyibi, according to a statement by the AEDC, was the Managing Director of Eko Electricity Distribution Company, (EKEDC), a Lagos based electricity utility company.

The distribution company stated that he was credited to have turned around the fortunes of the EKEDC by significantly reducing the company’s Aggregate, Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses, expanding its revenue base and delivering innovation in several aspects of the business.  

In addition, he was the pioneer Managing Director at Transcorp Power Ltd, Ughelli, Delta State, where he was said to have ramped up the generating company’s performance from 164MW to 634MW in 25 months.

He joined Transcorp Power from General Electric where he had held several roles with oversight for Middle East and Africa. 

AEDC also announced the appointment of Kassim Burkullu as its new Chief Technical Officer (CTO), replacing Mr. Oluwafemi Zacchaeus who had served as the Interim Chief Technical Officer.

The Chairman of the Board, AEDC, Mr. Victor Osadolor, who spoke on the new appointments said: “We are very delighted that both Fadeyibi and Burkullu are joining our company and bringing with them exceptional abilities and invaluable industry expertise.

“They will effectively complement the component of management team already in place.

“These appointments are necessary steps in positioning AEDC towards efficiency in customer service delivery and ensuring the effectiveness of turnaround embarked upon by the new management of the company.”

Bada was appointed in December 2021 to head a five-member management team of the AEDC for a period of five months following the disengagement of the erstwhile AEDC Managing Director, Ernest Mupwaya, along with other top management officials.