The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has initiated a review of the operations of the Zungeru Hydropower Project in a bid to improve electricity generation at the 700-megawatt facility, which is currently supplying about half of its installed capacity to the national grid.
The commission disclosed that the $1.3 billion hydropower project, operated under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, is generating approximately 350 megawatts. It said the review was intended to identify and address legal, regulatory and operational challenges affecting the plant’s performance.
The intervention follows President Bola Tinubu’s call for improved electricity supply and more effective utilisation of the country’s power infrastructure. In his 2026 Democracy Day address, the President said electricity was a democratic dividend owed to Nigerians.
Acting under the ICRC Act 2005, the commission convened a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja involving the Federal Ministry of Power, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, the Bureau of Public Enterprises and Penstock Limited, the project’s concessionaire.
The Bureau of Public Enterprises represents the grantor under a power of attorney from the Ministry of Power.
Speaking at the meeting, ICRC Director-General, Dr Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, said infrastructure operated through PPP arrangements must deliver results in line with the agreements governing their management.
He argued that projects established to improve public services should not operate below their potential without efforts to identify and resolve the factors responsible.
“Signing a concession agreement is only the first step; implementation of the terms in the PPP agreement is what delivers results,” Ewalefoh said.
He explained that the commission’s responsibility was to monitor compliance by both the government institution granting a concession and the private company operating the asset. He added that the ICRC was a regulator of PPP arrangements rather than a party to individual concession agreements.
The commission said the review would examine the issues affecting the Zungeru plant and determine the steps required to improve its performance.
Ewalefoh also announced plans for similar compliance reviews at other power facilities operated under PPP arrangements, including Kainji, Jebba, Shiroro, Dadinkowa and Kashimbila.
According to him, the findings from the reviews would be compiled into a final report for submission to the President.
At the end of the Zungeru stakeholders’ meeting, participants identified the legal and operational matters requiring attention and agreed on a date to reconvene.
The outcome of the process could help determine what measures are needed to improve electricity generation from the facility and ensure that the project delivers on its intended contribution to Nigeria’s power supply.
