Ganduje’s Energy Solution: Kano Set To Commission Tiga Hydro Power Station

The Governor Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has made good his promise to address energy challenges bedeviling water treatment plants and street lights among other facilities.

To this end, the Tiga 10 Megawatts Hydro Power Station constructed by the Ganduje administration has now been completed. A fter painstaking efforts by the government to actualise the dream the project is currently on pre-commissioning test.

During an inspection visit to the project site, the governor said he was highly satisfied with the progress of work done,and  commended the efforts of the State Independent Power Company, (KHEDCO), contractors and other stakeholders involved. 

 Ganduje who expressed happiness at the satisfactory  level of execution of the project  gave  promised to see the commissioning of the 10 megawatts generated from Tiga station up its final stage

He said the power generated  would be used to take care of the Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant and the Kano Metropolitan street lights.

“With this, our water issue will be dealt with decisively. So also our street lights issues will soon become history. While this project will be commissioned on the 29th of January, 2023, we are still on a similar project in Challawa Godge Dam, where we are generating 6 Megawatts;

“For the generation and distribution of energy, the state government had  established an Independent Power Company, as the  law stipulates. We came up with Kano Hydro and Energy Development Company (KHEDCO). A limited liability Company;

“And all the two needed licences for operations were secured since June 2021 from National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). Licences for power generation and distribution. He assured that in the next few weeks, the power generated from Tiga would be evacuated to Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant,adding that all evacuation lines from Tiga to Tamburawa has been fully completed.

He said  the power will be generating at 33KV and transmitting at 33KV, emphasising that  power generated from Tiga will be used for our Tamburawa water treatment plant 

In his word, What remains now is the final certification from the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) and automation, which is also ongoing and would be done within the next few days, as assured by the contractors.

Governor Ganduje assured that he would do all his best to see that he leaves indelible legacies on all spheres of human endeavours before the end of his second tenure.

Corroborating the stance of the governor on the preparation of her agency to ensure  prompt actualisation of the project

The managing director Kano Hydro and Energy Development Company (KHEDCO) Engineer Hadiza Ahmed Tukur, said presently at Tiga there were two generators; one is vertical which is generating eight capacity megawatts . capacity;

While  the other is horizontal and it is running two Megawats capacity of power “and that is why we termed it as the ten Megawstts Tiga Hydro Power generation Plant “

Hajiya Khadija said apart from that, everything had been completed and that preparation for the hydro project for commissioning is ongoing “though we have two major outstanding work – one is the Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) Certification this an agency under the Federal Ministry of Power.”

“NEMSA has to give approval before the official Commissioning. Secondly we have the Automation which is the linkage between the generation and the Carrier System Computerisation; it deals with everything that is happening at the power house and the work is in progress,” she said.

According to her, these are the two remaining work and once completed within four to five days, “we are going to open water to allow it to rotate in our turbines and we are going to test run both the eight and two generators once we get approval from the Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA).”

Hajiya Hadiza Ahmed Tukur  further stated that the two and eight Megawatts will be test run on load and off load on 29th January, saying “this will enable us to work confidently.”

Besides, the power generated in Tiga through the evacuation line will now be  moved  to Tamburawa water treatment plant; “we are generating at 33kva and also transmitting at 33kva but on reaching Tamburawa water treatment plant you have  to step it down to 3311.”

When the news for the planned commissioning filtered into town, many Kano residents jumped with joy, especially those whose livelyhood depends on electricity. 

Malam Bala Mohammed Dikko from  Garo, Audun Malam Isa from Tiga  both professional welders, described the Tiga hydro power project commissioning as timely, noting that it would immensely help their businesses with the electricity coming from KEDCO.

Similarly, a Director in one of the Ministries in the state who spoke on condition of anonimity, said the Tiga hydro power will go along way in minimising power outages as well as help in reviving the moribund industries in the state.