The Ministry of Power has given the reason behind the reduction of the capacity of the Mambilla hydro power from 3,050 to 1,500 megawatts.
Power Minister Mamman Saleh told members of the Senate Committee on Power in Abuja that the capacity of the power project was adjusted to 1,500 megawatts to make it bankable and acceptable to lenders.
The $5.8 billion power plant in Taraba State was designed to generate 3,050 megawatts of electricity.
In 2017, the Federal Government approved the construction of the project by a Chinese firm.
China’s Export-Import Bank was expected to provide 85 per cent of the funding while the Federal Government will contribute 15 per cent for the joint venture.
Saleh said: “We discovered that the 3,050 megawatts is not viable. We have sent officials to China to review the project and the memo is on the table of Mr President waiting for approval.
“The idea of re-scoping the project is to make it bankable. The market that we are operating today in Nigeria is different from the market that was operated when the Mambilla project was conceived.”
