Siemens deal to improve electricity for 40m people, create 11,000 jobs – FG

The first phase of the Siemens Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) will increase reliability of electricity supply to 40 million people and create 11,000 direct and indirect jobs, according to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.

The minister stated this on Monday at the flag-off of the PPI training on network development studies by FGN Power Company in Abuja, a firm established to coordinate the Siemens power project.

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Zainab said: “The first phase of the Presidential Power Initiative will provide over 40 million people with more reliable electricity supply, create 11,000 direct and indirect jobs for Nigerians from power system engineers to electricians and contractors, and this will in turn improve the standard of living while providing homes and businesses with constant, reliable and affordable electricity supply.”

Zainab, who is also the Chairperson of the board of FGN Power Co, said the board members are the Ministers of Power, Works and Housing and Justice, as well as the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).

“The reason we are here today is to flag off the training aspect of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), which empowers engineers with tools and training on network modelling and system development studies,” Zainab added.

The Minister of Power, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, represented by the Minister of State for Power, Engr. Goddy Jedy-Agba, said in 18 months, the Siemens project will add 2,000 megawatts (MW) to the national grid, raising it to 7,000MW.

He said, “The objective of the PPI is to increase the end-to-end grid operational capacity of the power system in Nigeria to 25 gigawatts (GW) but the focus in the next 18 months, it will deliver the first additional 2000MW. This will create a rapid transformation in the on-grid electricity value chain, spur economic growth, create jobs and opportunities for Nigerian youth and enterprises.”

The Managing Director and CEO of FGN Power Co, Kenny Anuwe, said the training is the first Power System Simulation Software (PSS) session under the Power Technology International (PTI) from Germany noting that the training would cut across the power sector value chain comprising the generation, transmission and distribution to be handled by the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN).

“Suffice to say that the training will happen over the next four years and so there will be different levels of training,” said Anuwe.

The Project Director at Siemens Energy in Nigeria, Sean Manley, said Siemens has brought in trainers from Germany and that the company was excited towards seeing to the successful implementation of the first phase of this project.