Advisory services sought for concession of Zungeru hydropower plant

The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), invites expressions of interest by 31 March from qualified technical advisers to provide transaction advisory services for the award of a concession for the 700 MW Zungeru hydroelectric plant on the Kaduna river in the northern state of Niger. The project has currently exceeded 87 per cent completion and is scheduled to be operational by December 2021, according to the tender notice on the website of BPE. The project, which will be the second biggest hydroelectric dam in Nigeria after the 760 MW Kainji hydropower dam, is designed to generate 2630 GWh/year, equivalent to around 10 per cent of the country's supply requirements. In addition to electricity generation, the project will also provide flood control, irrigation and water supply.

The main components of the Zungeru hydropower project include a 101 m-high, 1090 m-wide roller-compacted concrete (RCC) gravity dam, a clay core rockfill dam, an underground powerhouse equipped with four 175 MW units, a tailrace channel, and two switchyards on both banks of the river. The dam will create a reservoir with a water storage capacity of 11.4 billion m3. The project is being built by a consortium of China National Electric Engineering Company (CNEEC) and Sinohydro, a subsidiary of PowerChina, under an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract awarded in October 2012. The US$ 1.3 billion project is being co-financed by the Export-Import Bank of China, which agreed in November 2013 to provide a preferential buyer’s credit covering 75 per cent of the project cost. The remaining 25 per cent is funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The transaction advisor will be required to carry out a due diligence review of the operating company and the activities necessary to prepare it for the subsequent concession transaction; Review all relevant laws, regulations, policies that could impact the successful concession of the enterprise; Develop strategies that would attract interest from international investors; Develop detailed concession plans for the enterprise along the lines of the strategic concession criteria determined by the NCP; Conduct the marketing and bidding processes necessary for maximising private sector participation and develop post-concession exit strategy options for the enterprise.

Bidders are required to have at least ten years of experience on similar projects in developing countries within the past ten years. Submission of Expressions of Interest should be accompanied by a Bank Draft for the Naira equivalent of US$ 2000 payable to the BPE. Expressions of Interest must be submitted in one original and five copies with one e-copy in a sealed package clearly marked “(Expression of Interest: TA for the Concession of Zungeru)” by 17.00 hours local time on 31 March to: Alex A. Okoh, Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, 11 Osun Crescent, Off Ibrahim Babangida Way, Maitama District, Abuja, FCT; Email:  AAOkoh@bpe.gov.ng. For enquiries, contact: Mr. Yunana J. Malo, Director, Energy, BPE; E-mail: YMalo@bpe.gov.ng; Tel.: +234 (09) 8054771463.