The Federal Government is preparing to turn 21 unused dams identified along the Sokoto-Badagry Road into small-scale hydropower projects as part of efforts to increase electricity generation.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this in Abuja during the launch of the Renewable Energy Asset Management Company.
Tegbe said the government was surprised to find that the dams had remained unused despite their potential to support electricity generation and economic activity.
He explained that a new policy on small-scale hydropower was being developed to provide a framework for converting the facilities into commercially viable power projects.
According to the minister, President Bola Tinubu has directed the ministry to ensure that the dams and other underutilised public assets are put to productive use.
The government is also reviewing power infrastructure in different parts of the country, with plans to move electricity from areas with stranded or unused capacity to locations where demand is higher.
Tegbe identified Lagos, Kano and Borno among the areas that could benefit from better utilisation of existing power assets.
He said the government had also identified three major electricity corridors for infrastructure improvements. They include the Lagos axis, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridor and the Enugu-Port Harcourt axis.
As part of the plan, technical assessments are being carried out on electricity infrastructure along the corridors. The assessments will determine the condition of equipment such as insulators, conductors, relays and transmission towers, some of which have been in service for decades.
Tegbe said faulty infrastructure would be replaced after the audits are completed, with the government expecting work on some equipment to begin within weeks.
He stressed that the Federal Government was not planning to dispose of its power assets. Instead, the assets would be improved and used to support financing for further investments in the sector.
The minister said the new renewable asset management approach was intended to change how government infrastructure was handled, with greater emphasis on making existing assets productive rather than simply building new ones.
Tegbe acknowledged that Nigeria has significant energy resources and power infrastructure but has continued to struggle with unreliable electricity.
He said the government was working towards ending repeated grid collapses and providing a more dependable electricity supply to households and businesses.
The minister added that the administration wants electricity to play a bigger role in expanding manufacturing, supporting economic growth and powering Nigeria’s growing digital economy.
The Federal Government is targeting an increase in electricity wheeling capacity from about 5,000 megawatts currently to 6,500MW by the end of 2026 and 8,000MW by the end of 2027.
