The House of Representatives Committee on Power on Tuesday met behind closed door with officials of Distribution Companies in the power sector.
Chairman of the Committee, Aliyu Magaji, after the arrival of the chief executive officers of the companies, asked journalists and aides to leave the venue.
The committee had last week discovered a controversial allocation to the Discos in the 2020 budget proposed by the Ministry of Power. It is envisaged that the meeting would resolve the matter and also proffer solutions to some of the challenges militating against the sector.
In the 2020 budget, the Federal Government set aside N2 billion for the revival of the 40-year old abandoned Mambilla Hydro Power Project. The budget, according to the Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, is in line with the Federal Government’s plan to reform the power sector.
She said that the Government also budgeted N200 million for the construction of 215MW Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO)/ for Kaduna gas power station and N150 million for Afam Fast Power Programme Accelerated Gas and Solar Power Generation.
Former Minister of Power Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, had said that the construction of the 40-year-old Mambilla hydro power project would cost $5.72 billion, adding that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had already approved the amount which would be raised as loan from the Chinese Government.
Details later…
