Dadin Kowa Dam project to boost power supply with 40MW — Minister

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Dadin Kowa Dam project to boost power supply with 40MW — Minister

The Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, weekend, revealed that the Dadin Kowa Multipurpose Dam project at Dadin Kowa Village, Yalmatu Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State, will boost power supply with 40 megawatts of electricity.

Adamu made this known during commissioning of the Dadin Kowa Multipurpose Dam, where he also said the power project is an integral component of Dadin-Kowa Multi-purpose Dam which had been commissioned in 1988 with a reservoir storage capacity of 2.8 billion cubic metres.

According to him, the dam is to provide 6,608 hectares irrigation development, 40 megawatts of electricity and daily supply 30,000 cubic metres of water.

He said: “In an effort to utilize the full potential of the Dadin Kowa Dam in support of the cardinal agenda of this Administration in the area of hydro power generation for socio- economic development, the Ministry signed a concession agreement with Messrs Mabon Ltd on the 4th July 2005 to design, construct, install, operate and maintain hydropower generating components of 40 Megawatts.

“The power station comprises of 2 x 20 MW hydropower , Turbine Generators , 2×17.5/25MVA , 11KV/132KV Switchyard, 2x400KVA Station Transformers, 132Kv Switching Station and 6.5km Turn-in and Turn-out Transmission Station.”

He (Adamu) expressed optimism that the potential of the hydro power will have huge socio-economic impact and tremendously transform the lives of the people of Gombe State and its environs.

However, the Minister called on the State to support the incremental Power Policy of the current administration with other impacts of the project such as industrialization, promotion of medium and large scale industries including employment generation for youth in the State.

Meanwhile, he pointed out that Federal Government’s intervention in the water sector in Gombe State is not limited to Dadin-kowa Multi-purpose Dam project but additional projects either executed or have been implemented in other parts of the State which include Gombe Regional Water Supply project (counterpart funding Federal Government 30% and Gombe state government 70%).

The Minister also made it known that the Dukku Regional Water Supply Project, Kwani/Gadam/Bojule Regional Water Supply Project ; the drilling and installation of hand pump and solar borehole for rural water supply and sanitation projects across the State and Dadin Kowa irrigation scheme under Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority, which is among the transforming irrigation management projects in the country, a project funded by the World Bank in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

Earlier, Managing Director, MD, Upper Benue River Basin Authority, Engr Abubakar Muaazu, lauded the commitment of the Minister, which constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee including the BOT contractor, to study and review the agreement from 2015 to 2016.

According to Muaazu, the revised concession agreement made it possible for both parties to successfully execute the implementation of the 40MW power plant, which was completed, tested, and certified by relevant regulatory agencies in December 2020.

He also disclosed that the concessionaire obtained a Power Purchasing Agreement, PPA, with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader, NBET.

He added that the reservoir capacity of the Dam is 2.8 billion cubic meters, with a live storage of 1.7 billion cubic meters, and among others

He (Muaazu) explained that the major components and functions of the Dam consist of irrigation of approximately 30,000 hectares downstream of the reservoir in two phases between Gombe, Borno, and Adamawa States, as well as domestic water supply to Gombe State capital and environs, fisheries (local and mechanized), while flood control, eco-tourism, and restoration of bio-diversity upstream and downstream of the reservoir are other components and functions of the Dam respectively.