Loading
The Makurdi Hydropower Project (Makurdi HPP) was originally conceived as part of the Plan For Electric Power System Development issued by the then National Electric Power Authority [NEPA] in 1974. Makurdi Hydropower Project Company Limited (MHPCL) is a special purpose vehicle [SPV] Company established by Interaf Power Development Company Limited [IPDC] and Sinohydro Corporation Limited to develop the greenfield 1,650MW Makurdi Hydropower Dam. MHPCL is focused on the promotion, development, construction and operation of this dam, with spin-off clean energy projects such as the production of Green Hydrogen and Ammonia in Nigeria.
The project is being developed under Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework with the Federal Government of Nigeria. PPP is an agreement between the private sector and the public sector for the development, rehabilitation, management, operation and maintenance of either existing infrastructure or the construction of new infrastructure, with sharing of risks between the parties involved. The Federal Government of Nigeria has emphasized its commitment towards ensuring steady and improved power supply utilizing the water resources in the country with potentials for the generation of hydropower but is constrained in its ability to solely fund and operate new developments in the sector.
In line with these aims of the Federal Government and its agencies, the promoters and developers of the Makurdi Hydropower [multi-purpose] Dam project are desirous to Design, Finance, Build, Own, Operate and Transfer what will be a world-class project, built to the highest technical specifications, with water supply, irrigation, flood control and navigation components as the socio-economic benefits of the project. In addition, the project will aid the efforts towards climate change mitigation through the avoidance of CO2 emissions, provide jobs for thousands of skilled and semi-skilled Nigerians, and boost economic activities in the country by providing a source of clean, baseload energy to an energy starved country.
The developers, [a joint venture of PowerChina International Group (Sinohydro) and Interaf Power Development Co Ltd], are desirous of leveraging on the pre-eminent engineering and construction capabilities of Powerchina Group, and their collective access to affordable and long-term financing for the construction of the project, which though conceived since 1978, has not been able to be implemented due to the paucity of funds available to the Federal Government for investment in infrastructure.