Four West African nations to purchase Nigeria’s idle electricity

Niger, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso are working in partnership to purchase the unused power produced in Nigeria, the Chairman of the Executive Board of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), Sule Abdulaziz, stated on Wednesday.

Abdulaziz, who is also the acting Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, declared that the four nations were working in partnership to buy the power from Nigeria via the Northcore Power Transmission Line presently being built.

He made this known at the West African Power Pool meeting on the Northcore project in Abuja.

Abdulaziz said, “The power we will be selling is the power that is not needed in Nigeria.

“The electricity generators that are going to supply power to this transmission line are going to generate that power specifically for this project. So, it is unutilised power.”

The WAPP Chairman said Nigeria was expecting new generators to partake in the energy export for the 875km 330KV Northcore transmission line from Nigeria through Niger, Togo, Benin to Burkina Faso.

He said, “In addition, there are some communities that are under the line route, about 611 of them, which will be getting power so that there won’t be just a transmission line passing without impact.”

Abdulaziz disclosed that the project, financed by World Bank, French Development Council and the African Development Bank, had recorded progress, stating that the energy ministers would be tackling security issues for the project at another meeting in Abuja.

He said, “Nigeria has the greatest advantage among these countries because the electricity is going to be exported from Nigerian Gencos (generation companies).

“So, from that, the revenue is going to be enhanced and a lot of people will be employed in Nigeria.”

The Secretary-General, WAPP, Siengui Appolinaire-Ki, declared that the cost of the project was about $570m, stating that part of the investment in each nation would be financed by that particular country.

Appolinaire-Ki stated that nations in the partnership, which include Nigeria, were also being supported by donors.

He disclosed that the funding agreement was ready as partner nations were awaiting the disbursements.

Appolinaire-Ki, though, stated that the donor agencies had said they required a Power Purchase Agreement between the buying and the selling nations to be carried out before the fund is released.