By Becky Usman

The Federal Government, in collaboration with the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), has successfully increased the power capacity of the national grid from approximately 13,000 megawatts, as recorded a few years ago, to an impressive 14,000 MW.

Dr. Joy Ogaji, the Executive Secretary of APGC, revealed this development during an interview with The PUNCH on the sidelines of the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria’s 2023 annual international strategic conference last week Thursday. She emphasized that the electricity generation capacity available to the national grid has grown to nearly 14,000MW.

Dr. Ogaji attributed this significant increase to the commissioning of the $1.3 billion 700MW Zungeru hydroelectric plant, located in Niger state, which became operational in the second quarter of the year.

“The national grid now boasts an installed power generation capacity of about 14,000 megawatts, thanks to the successful launch of the Zungeru plant this year,” she explained. She further highlighted that this development presented a valuable opportunity for potential investors to collaborate with the Generation Companies (Gencos).

It’s worth noting that in February, the Federal Government announced Mainstream Energy Solution Limited as the preferred bidder for the concession of the Zungeru plant. The company offered an annual fee of $700 million for a 30-year period to operate the facility.

However, it’s essential to verify these claims against official records. According to checks made by The PUNCH with the Nigerian Electricity System Operator, the most recent on-grid peak power generation as of Saturday was 4,803.60 MW, which suggests that there may be discrepancies between reported capacity and actual generation.