Concessionaire sought to operate 700 MW Zungeru in Nigeria

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) through the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) and its Secretariat, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Power (FMOP), seeks to engage a strategic investor with the technical and financial capabilities to operate, maintain and manage the 700 MW Zungeru hydro plant for a minimum of thirty years.

Interested investors are invited to express their interest by submitting a Request for Qualification (RfQ) by 24 November for the concession of the hydro plant, which is being built on the river Kaduna, a tributary of the river Niger, in the northern state of Niger. The project, which 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 contract awarded in October 2012, is 98 per cent complete and expected to be commissioned in Q1 2023, according to Nigeria’s Minister of Power Abubakar Aliyu, following a site visit on 28 October. Construction of the state-owned plant was delayed following an attack by armed bandits in January, during which workers were killed and kidnapped. Its main components include a 113 m-high, 1090 m-wide roller-compacted concrete (RCC) gravity dam, a concrete spillway equipped with four radial gates designed to pass Probable Maximum Flood (PMF), and an underground powerhouse equipped with four 175 MW units. The dam will impound a reservoir with a water storage capacity of 10.4 x 109m3. Upon its commissioning, the project will be the second biggest hydro dam in Nigeria after the 760 MW Kainji hydropower dam. It is designed to generate 2630 GWh per annum, 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 US$ 1.3 billion project is being co-financed by the Export-Import Bank of China, which agreed in 2013 to provide a preferential buyer’s credit covering 75 per cent of the project cost. The balance is funded by the Government of Nigeria.

Interested firms and/or consortia may submit their Qualification Statements in response to this RFQ, wherein firms and/or consortia will be shortlisted for issuance of a detailed Request for Proposal (RfP). Details of the project, application submission process and requirements have been set out in the Request for Qualification (RfQ). The RFQ requirements will also be available on the online portal for all interested parties to participate in the qualification process. Detailed technical and financial eligibility criteria and method of application is as contained in the RfQ document which can be downloaded from the E-Portal; www.zungeruhpp.com.ng, www.bpe.gov.ng and www.icrc.gov.ng. Clarifications/enquiries may be sent via email to info@zungeruhpp.com.ng.

An original copy and five other copies of RfQ and one digital copy in PDF format stored on a readable digital media preferably flash drive (no CDs or DVDs) must be delivered in a sealed envelope clearly marked ‘Request for Qualification for the Concession of the 700MW Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant (ZHPP)’ and delivered not later than 14:00 hrs on 24 November to Amaechi C. Aloke, Director, Energy Sector Department, Bureau of Public Enterprises,  Room 108, 11 Osun Crescent, Off IBB Way Maitama District, FCT, Nigeria.

Email: AAloke@bpe.gov.ng.

For further enquiries, contact Dr. Rabiu Abubakar Abba, Head, Power Generation, Energy Sector Department: RAbba@bpe.gov.ng.