Nigeria: AfDB funds capacity increases at Kainji and Jebba

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a financing package of $100m for the rehabilitation of the Kainji and Jebba hydropower plants on the Niger River. The financial package, which comprises an $80m loan and $20m in equity, is designed to increase capacity from the currently available 917MW to the nameplate capacity of 1,338.4MW, the AfDB said on 16 December. Feasibility studies for the overhaul were completed by RusHydro International in March 2014. The 760MW Kainji and 576.8MW Jebba plants are operated under a concession by private local investor Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited and generate on average around 20% of the country’s total electricity supply.