Contec Global secures NERC approval to build 10mw gas plant

CONTEC Global Energy  Limited (CONTEC Global) has acquired the requisite approval from the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to establish a 10 megawatts gas-based power station in Makurdi industrial Estate, Benue State. Accordingly, the state government has provided a five hectares land space for the power station.

CONTEC’s Project Manager (Energy), Dr. Sashi Mozumder, who disclosed this, said that the power plant, the first of its kind in the region, will generate and supply electricity to industries in the Estate .

He said that at a meeting with Governor Dr. Samuel Ortom, and his Deputy Governor, Engineer Benson Abounu and members of his cabinet, CONTEC Global offered an initial proposal to establish a 2MW power station which will be upgraded to 10MW for effective coverage of the industrial estate.

“The project is primed to commence in 180 days after all preliminary paper and administrative works on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) are completed.

“We are currently working on the initial MoU, pre-feasibility study, benefit- cost analysis among other preliminary preparations towards the commencement of the project, which is scheduled to commence within 180 days.  With this, we shall be able to deliver the first electricity to the estate in the next 12 months,” Dr. Mozumder said.

On how the power plant will be getting its gas supply, he said, “We shall be feeding the Benue power plant with gas supplies from Anambra State. Although, this is a huge task, we have the capacity to do it. Vanguard learned that the Industrial Estate is designed to host not less than 50 industries with the capacity to provide an immediate employment to over 10,000 people if fed with the electricity.

But at the moment, the estate is not fed with any form of electricity. Meanwhile, CONTEC energy is already in Onitsha, Anambra State offering similar support and is in touch with several other states including Ebonyi, Edo, Kaduna, FCT, and others towards providing energy solutions to them.