Nigeria and Republic of Niger reach power supply agreement

Nigeria and the Republic of Niger have reached a fresh agreement that will guarantee uninterrupted power supply to Niger and also guarantee uninterrupted flow of water from Niger to Nigeria's strategic hydro electric power station at Kainji in the central Nigeria's state of Niger. The accord reached after top level discussions between Nigerian Minister of Power and Steel Olusegun Agagu and his Niger's counterpart Yahaya Baare of Mines Ministry in the capital Abuja.
Officials at the Nigerian Ministry of Power and the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) disclosed that the arrangement between the two countries will ensure that 45 MW of electricity is guaranteed to Niger. "The amount of electricity to be supplied is just about 1 % of the estimated 4,000 MW to be generated by NEPA at the end of the year. By supplying the country with this, we will also guarantee that they will not dam the River Niger and as such throw Kainji out of action," a NEPA senior official was quoted as saying.

The NEPA's current output hovers between a recent low of 1,200 and the more constant 2,000 MW. Nigeria already through bilateral arrangement shares the hydro-electric power potentials of the River Niger with Niger which the NEPA presently supplies about 35 MW of electricity. The existing transmission line connects Niger from Kainji through the northern city of Birnin-Kebbi, northern Sokoto State to Niamey, capital of Niger.