Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has disclosed that the state government is considering taking over the nine megawatts hydropower plant located within the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority.
Abiodun, who stated this during an on-the-spot assessment of facilities at the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority on Friday, said his administration was already in alliance with the Bureau of Public Enterprises on the modalities for the takeover.
He said taking over the hydro power plant would boost his administration’s plan to improve power supply across the state.
The governor said the nine megawatts hydro power plant would be merged with the 30 megawatts power plant in Onijanganjangan, which, being gas-fired, would ensure that the state has the right energy mix.
He stated that the abandoned dam and hydro power plant, commissioned in 1983, represented stranded renewable energy that his administration intended to take advantage of.
“From the information we have, one of the three turbines was commissioned, but the other two were not commissioned because they were not fully installed. We have been engaging with the Bureau of Public Enterprises, and there is an alliance between our government and the Bureau to take over this hydro power plant and merge it with our gas-fired plant so that we have the right energy mix.
“That is another reason why we are here: to see what we can do to ensure that the stranded or idle power plants are fully optimised. I am sure that in the next few weeks, engineers will be here to ascertain the integrity and how we can resuscitate this plant for the use and benefit of our sons and daughters of Ogun State under our Ogun State Light Up Project.”