Plateau govt., private firm to build N39bn hydro-power plant in Shemankar

From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos

A private firm, Shemankar Valley Limited, would soon sign an MoU with the Plateau government for the building of a N39 billion hydro-power plant at Shemankar village of the State.

Engineer Samari Modibo, the firm’s Managing Director made the disclosure on Monday in Shemankar during an inspection tour to the site by Commissioner for Water Resources, Engr Vincent Arings and other officials of the ministry.

Modibo, who said that the Shemankar Independent Hydro-Power Project is a Private Public Project (PPP), disclosed that the firm hopes to add 130 megawatts to the national grid and offer employment about 3, 000 personnel towards the plant’s construction.

“Preliminary assessment shows that we will be able to generate between 80-100 megawatts of electricity from Randa River and another 30-45 Megawatts at Shemankar River.

“All we need now is for the State government to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with us; the survey is completed and the need government to approve it,” he said.

The MD further disclosed that besides adding 130 megawatts to the state’s electric power need, irrigation farming, fishing, portable drinking water, tourism and attraction of cottage industries would be part of the benefits the plant would bring to the state.

He appealed to the state government to expedite action at getting the land for them from the Shemankar community saying, “such is the encouragement we need to go on with the project.”

“Our fear is that any further delay in signing the MoU, because we have only 90 days for the financial window opened to us to close and once we don’t meet that, we shall have to start all over again,” he said.

Responding, Arings described the project as “gigantic” and “very fantastic” and pledged to report back to governor Jonah Jang “what our eyes as officials of the water resources ministry have seen.”