Plateau goes for hydro power

By Blessing Odega

Plateau state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with William Duncan Hydro Electric Power to generate 32 megawatts of hydropower.

Mr David Wuyep, the state Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, said on Tuesday in Jos at a news briefing on the achievements of the ministry.

He explained that the hydropower would be generated from a dam that would be constructed at Kwall in Bassa Local Government Area.

The commissioner said that the dam would be constructed in 2019.

He said that the generation of the hydropower would go a long way in complementing the power generated and distributed from the national grid.

Wuyep pointed out that 60 per cent of the state’s population was currently off the grid, due to insufficient generation and distribution capacity of the grid.

He, however, said that the state government in a bid to alleviate the plight of its populace especially those in the rural areas, had commenced the use of renewable energy grid such as the solar mini-grid.

According to him, the government has partnered with Green Village Energy Ltd., which has provided a 50KW solar mini-grid system each in Angwan Rina and Damshin communities which are totally off the grid.

He explained that the state government intended to replicate the same solar mini-grid systems in many other villages off the grid.

Wuyep said that the state government had also rehabilitated the Durumi substation, saying that power had been restored in Fanjur, Mazat, Kuba, Mai-Katako and Ganan-daje in Bokkos Local Government Area. (NAN)