Electricity: Nigeria, Germany sign Agreement to Accelerate Implementation of Siemens Power Project

The Tinubu Administration, Friday, took its quest to stabilize power supply in Nigeria to a notch higher with the signing of an accelerated performance agreement with Germany on the sideline of the ongoing United Nations-organised climate change conference, a.k.a. COP 28, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, witnessed the epoch which is aimed at expediting the implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) to improve electricity supply in the country.

Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, disclosed this in a press statement on Friday.

The Presidential Spokesperson revealed that the agreement was signed by Mr. Kenny Anuwe, Managing Director and CEO of FGN Power Company, and Ms. Nadja Haakansson, Siemens Energy’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Africa.

Ngelale further revealed that the PPI, formerly known as the Nigeria Electrification Roadmap Initiative, was the outcome of the visit of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Abuja in August, 2018.

An agreement was signed between the governments of Nigeria and Germany in 2019 to improve the power sector.

He recalled that since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May, he has consistently advocated the accelerated realization and expansion of the PPI. To achieve this, the project has been a major focal point in three rounds of bilateral discussions at several meetings between the President and the German Chancellor, in New Delhi, Abuja and Berlin.

“The agreement signed today will see to the end-to-end modernization and expansion of Nigeria’s electric power transmission grid with the full supply, delivery and installation of Siemens-manufactured equipment under the time line of 18 to 24 months,” Ngelale said in the release, adding:

“Furthermore, the agreement will ensure project sustainability and maintenance with full technology transfer and training for Nigerian engineers at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).”

Speaking after the signing ceremony in Dubai, Managing Director of the FGN Power Company, Mr. Kenny Anuwe, highlighted Siemens Energy’s effective delivery of crucial equipment worth over 63 million Euros to the country since the project commenced. This includes 10 units of 132/33KV mobile substations; 3 units of 75/100MVA transformers, and 7 units of 60/66MVA transformers, currently being installed by FGN Power Company at various sites across Nigeria.

The project will also focus on identified load demand centres with a particular emphasis on economic and industrial hubs nationwide; execution of new 330kV and 132/33KV substations in target load centres with economic priority, in addition to thousands of kilometres of overhead transmission lines to connect new substations with existing ones.