The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has begun Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the proposed 1350MW Independent Power Plant to be located in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The Minister of Environment, Mr. Muhammad Mahmud, has therefore commended the NNPC on the project aimed at boosting electricity supply in parts of the nation.
Mahmud gave the commendation in Abuja during the Panel Review Meeting on the EIA of the project.
He said the project was critical to the Federal Government given its numerous potentials to improve the power situation in parts of the country.
The minister who was represented by Engr. Celestine Gomwalk said the ministry, through the newly constituted EIA Panel, would ensure that only decisions that are of mutual benefits to all stakeholders would be considered.
In his presentation, the Abuja Independent Power Plant Project Manager, Engr. Benjamin Adah, stated that the project would leverage on the existing huge natural gas resources from the NNPC Upstream and the proposed Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas pipeline to boost the nation’s revenue base and generate employment opportunities for the youth.
The Project Manager said that besides generating 1350MW into the national grid, the project would help to decongest the over-voltage on transmission network coming from closely located power generating companies in the gas producing areas.
He said the project which would sit on a 54.7 hectares of land in the Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory would be co-financed by the NNPC and its strategic partner, GE/CMEC, with a combination of Debt-Equity sharing ratio of 70%:30%.
He said the host community, Dukpa in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT, was carried along in the course of conducting the EIA activities.
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