The $186 million Afam Fast power project would be ready for commissioning next month, the Federal Government has announced.
The project, tagged “power on the wheel”, initiated by the All Progressives Congress, APC, government in 2016, would add 240 megawatts of electricity to the national grid when it fully becomes operational.
Located at Afam III the premises of Afam Power PLC in Oyigbo locaL government area of Rivers State, the project is a collaboration between the federal government and General Electric, GE.
Disclosing this during a ministerial press visit, Engr. Olumide Obademi, the Managing Director of Afam Power PLC, said the turbines for the project were 90 percent completed.
“Similarly, the job on the 132KV switch yard for power evacuation is already completed,” Obademi said.
He recalled that, sometimes in 2016, the federal government had an MoU with General Electric, GE, to supply fast power in line with its incremental power programme.
Explaining further, he said: “By January 2017, the civil works commenced in preparation for the arrival of eight GE TM 2500 Turbines and its auxiliaries with a total capacity of 240mw of 30mw each.
“Before the end of 2017, all the eight turbines and the auxiliaries arrived site. installation and asssemblying commenced immediately.
“At present, the installation of the turbines and generators had been completed, meanwhile the installation of the auxiliaries are in progress and about 90 per cent completed.”
Conducting journalists round the project, Mohammed Mijandad, the Managing Director of General Electric, said the project which was beneficial to the country and its people would be completed any moment from now.
Mijandad said the GE was only waiting for the federal government’s consent on the securitization for the project to take-off which, according to him, has capacity to supply power to 1.5 million homes.
He added that The TM 2500 generator set, which is trailer mounted, could also be installed faster than traditional power plants and make it ideally suited to meet Nigeria’s growing energy demands.
Mijandad said the turbine, which could switch between gas and LPG fuels, could provide increased plant operability, allowing for more reliable power generation.
