The Bureau of Public Enterprises, acting on behalf of the Federal Government, is engaged in the sale of five power plants under the National Integrated Power Projects, with a reported cost of approximately $1.15 billion, as revealed on Tuesday.
Despite indications from sources familiar with the matter suggesting that the plants’ value should surpass $5 billion according to international benchmarks, it was disclosed that the BPE intends to market the facilities at a slightly higher price, around $1.1 billion, Punch reported.
Ignatius Ayewoh, the acting director-general of BPE, confirmed that the transaction is currently underway, emphasising that it has not been finalised, according to the report. When asked about the cost of the five plants, Ayewoh, citing an ongoing meeting, declined to disclose the details.
Read more: Nigeria’s 700mw power plant is 99.8% ready – minister of power
However, reliable sources within the bureau identified the five power plants, comprising the 434 megawatts Geregu II gas-fired plant in Kogi, the 451MW Omotosho II plant in Ondo, and the 750MW Olorunshogo II plant in Ogun State.
The remaining two are the 563MW Odukpami power plant in Calabar, Cross River State, and the 451MW Benin-Ihovbor plant in Edo State.
Reports indicate that the Omotosho plant, equipped with four power-generating turbines, is set to be sold at approximately $85 million, while the Olorunsogo NIPP, also featuring four turbines, carries an estimated cost of $170 million.
Read more: Geregu pays N8.7bn to Italian firm to overhaul 435 MW power plant
The Benin-Ihovbor plant, featuring five power-generating turbines, is priced at $420 million. The Calabar Odukpami plant, equipped with five turbines, is set to be sold for approximately $260 million, while the Geregu plant, hosting four turbines, carries a price tag of $215 million.
According to an unnamed source familiar with the matter, these plants utilise Siemens turbines, each capable of generating about 115MW of electricity. The source revealed that constructing a plant capable of generating 1MW of electricity would cost around $1 million. The source emphasised that if the valuation of the five NIPP plants were based on this construction cost, it would exceed $5 billion.
However, it is acknowledged that the cost of constructing a 1MW power plant varies based on factors such as the type of power plant, location, technological advancements, etc.
Read more: Uzodinma urges FG to establish 10mw hydro-power plant in Imo
The source added, “But a general range for the cost of constructing a 1MW power plant based on different technologies is that for a solar power plant, it is between $1 million to $2 million per MW.”
Explaining further, another source in the sector clarified that the cost of constructing a 1MW power plant varies across technologies. Specifically, for wind power plants, the range is between $1.5 million to $2.5 million per MW.
In the case of natural gas-fired power plants like the NIPPs, the cost falls between $1 million to $2 million per MW.
Meanwhile, for coal power plants, the estimated cost is within the range of $2 million to $3 million per MW.
