Abubakar Aliyu, minister of power, has asked Siemens Energy, a German firm, to fast-track the delivery of transformers and mobile power substations ordered by the Nigerian government.
According to a statement issued by his ministry, Aliyu said this during a visit to the company’s factories in Frankfurt and Berlin, cities in Germany.
The components ordered by the government for the upgrade and improvement of Nigeria’s electricity are being manufactured at the factories.
In December 2021, the federal executive council (FEC) approved $1.9 million and €62.9 million for phase one of the presidential power initiative (PPI).
The PPI is a power upgrade and modernisation programme between the Nigerian government and Siemens with the support of the German government.
In July 2019, the federal government signed a power project deal (PPI) with Siemens AG to increase Nigeria’s electricity generation to 25,000 megawatts (MW) in six years.
A year after the deal was signed, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the payment of €15.21 million and N1.708 billion as counterpart funding for the PPI.
During the visit, Aliyu said the government is investing in efforts to modernise Nigeria’s power infrastructure for economic growth.
According to him, delivering stable electricity is a priority of the present administration.
“The minister’s visit was part of efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari administration to modernize, upgrade and stabilize electricity supply in Nigeria,” the statement reads.
“The minister expressed confidence in the commitment of Siemens to Nigeria’s power sector transformation and urged the German firm to fast track the delivery of orders placed by Nigerian government for the implementation of first phase of the plan that is aimed at achieving 25,000 megawatts by 2025.”
Aliyu added that a milestone has been reached in the effort to realise the partnership on electricity between the federal government and Siemens under the PPI.
In his remarks, Christoph Menger, vice-president for regional sales, Siemens Energy, said the company is committed to timely delivery of Nigeria’s orders.
(The Cable)
