In line with the federal government’s thrust on food security and alternative sources of wealth creation, the federal ministry of water resources at the weekend commissioned the Dadin Kowa Multipurpose Dam in Yalmatu Deba local government area of Gombe State.
The minister of water resources, Suleiman Adamu, while carrying out the excercise, stated that the power project is an integral component of the Dadin-kowa Multipurpose Dam, which was commissioned in 1988, with a reservoir storage capacity of 2.8 billion cubic metres and with the goal of providing 6,608 hectares of irrigation development, 40 megawatts of electricity, and 30,000 cubic metres of daily water supply.
According to the minister, “in an effort to utilize the full potential of the Dadin Kowa Dam and in support of the cardinal agenda of this administration in the area of hydropower generation for socio- economic development, the ministry signed a concession agreement with Messrs Mabon Ltd on 4th July 2005 to design, construct, install, operate and maintain hydropower generating components of 40 megawatts.”
He added that, “the power station comprises of 2×20 MW hydropower , turbine generators , 2×17.5/25MVA , 11KV/132KV switchyard, 2x400KVA station transformers, 132Kv switching station and 6.5km turn-in and turn-out transmission station”.
Adamu further stated that the potential socio-economic impact of the hydropower plant will have tremendous multiplier effects on the people of Gombe State and its environs.
The minister called on the Gombe State to support the incremental power policy of the current administration, with other projects, such as the promotion of medium and large scale industries, in addition to other initiatives to ensure employment generation for the youths in the state.
Adamu also noted that the federal government’s intervention in the water sector in Gombe State is not limited to the Dadin Kowa Multipurpose Dam project, but included additional projects that were either executed or being implemented in other parts of the state. They projects under review include the Gombe Regional Water Supply Project, with a 30% counterpart funding from the federal government and 70% financing from the Gombe State government.
He also mentioned other projects to include the Dukku Regional Water Supply Project, the Kwani/Gadam/Bojule Regional Water Supply Project, and the drilling and installation of hand pump and solar borehole for rural water supply and sanitation projects across the state. Others are the Dadin Kowa Irrigation Scheme, under the Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority, which is among the Transforming Irrigation Management projects in the country, a project funded by the World Bank in partnership with the federal ministry of water resources.
In his speech, the MD ,Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority, Engr Muaazu, pointed out that, as a result of the commitment of the minister, an inter-ministerial committee was established, including the BOT contractor, to study and review the agreement from 2015 to 2016. The revised concession agreement, he said, made it possible for both parties to successfully execute the implementation of the 40MW power plant, which was completed, tested, and certified by relevant regulatory agencies in December 2020.
He observed that the concessionaire obtained a power purchasing agreement (PPA) with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity (NBET) Limited, stressing that the reservoir capacity of the dam is 2.8 billion cubic meters, with a live storage of 1.7 billion cubic meters.
Speaking further, Engr Muaazu said the major components and functions of the dam consist of irrigation of approximately 30,000 hectares downstream of the reservoir, which is in two phases between Gombe, Borno, and Adamawa States. This is in addition to the dam’s function for domestic water supply to Gombe State capital and environs, as well as the support of fisheries, both local and mechanized.
The dam will also help in the area of flood control, eco-tourism, and the restoration of biodiversity, both upstream and downstream of the reservoir.
