The Federal Government has engaged Energy China to explore practical options for reviving and delivering the long delayed Mambila Hydropower Project in Taraba State, including the possibility of implementing the project in phases.
The development follows Nigeria’s recent victory in an international arbitration dispute connected to the project, which the Federal Government said had cleared a major legal hurdle that had stalled its progress for years.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said large hydropower developments such as Mambila, alongside smaller projects supporting agricultural corridors, form part of Nigeria’s medium and long term electricity strategy.
Tegbe also disclosed that Nigeria’s recent power sector engagements with China secured commitments from major companies and financiers, including Sinomach, China Machinery Engineering Corporation, CMEC, and China National Electric Engineering Corporation, CNEEC, to accelerate priority electricity projects.
CMEC reaffirmed its involvement in the 1.9 gigawatt Presidential Power Initiative portfolio, with the first transmission lines targeted for delivery in the first quarter of 2027.
CNEEC, meanwhile, has advanced financing arrangements for the $116 million Zungeru evacuation project, while TBEA has proposed a $500 million industrial park for power equipment manufacturing. Hengfei Cable also indicated plans to supply cables for the second phase of the PPI and proposed establishing a local assembly plant and training centre.
The Federal Government said the initiatives are expected to link power infrastructure development with local manufacturing, skills development and technical capacity, with the broader objective of improving electricity supply across Nigeria.
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