Togo, Niger, Others to Acquire Nigeria’s Idle Electricity

Four West African nations are collaborating to acquire unutilised power produced in Nigeria, stated Sule Abdulaziz, the Chairman of the Executive Board of the West African Power Pool (WAPP).

Abdulaziz, who doubled as the acting Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, listed the four West African nations as Niger, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso.

He said the nations were collaborating to make the purchase via the Northcore Power Transmission Line presently under construction.

Abdulaziz disclosed this at the WAPP meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said, “The power we will be selling is the power that is not needed in Nigeria.

“The electricity generators that are going to supply power to this transmission line are going to generate that power specifically for this project. So, it is unutilised power.”

The WAPP chairman said the country was expecting new generators to take part in the energy export for the 875km 330KV Northcore transmission line from Nigeria through Niger, Togo, Benin to Burkina Faso.

Abdulaziz said, “In addition, there are some communities that are under the line route, about 611 of them, which will be getting power so that there won’t be just a transmission line passing without impact.”

He further stated that the project, financed by the World Bank, French Development Council and the African Development Bank, had recorded progress, saying that the energy ministers would be addressing security issues for the project at another meeting in Abuja.

He added that “Nigeria has the greatest advantage among these countries because the electricity is going to be exported from Nigerian Gencos (generation companies).“