FG eyes Chinese investment to fast-track power projects

File: Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has held engagements with Chinese power engineering firms and financial institutions to accelerate the delivery of Presidential Power Initiative projects and attract investment across Nigeria’s electricity value chain.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Adeola Labzy.

The engagements were held in Beijing as part of the ongoing Nigeria–China power sector mission and focused on converting partnerships into bankable projects, financed investments and completed infrastructure.

At a strategic meeting with Sinomach Group and China Machinery Engineering Corporation, two major contractors involved in Nigeria’s generation and transmission programme, the minister sought firm and accelerated completion schedules for ongoing PPI projects.

Tegbe also proposed moving beyond conventional engineering, procurement and construction contracts to broader partnerships involving Chinese companies.

Under the proposed model, Chinese partners would co-invest in generation, transmission, hydropower and related industrial projects by providing capital, technology and technical expertise.

Building on CMEC’s existing operations in Nigeria, the minister said the partnership should support faster project completion, increased wheeling capacity and blended financing structures.

The minister also visited China National Electric Engineering Corporation (CNEEC) to advance EPC cooperation on Nigeria’s transmission network.

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The transmission segment remains critical to electricity supply, as network constraints can contribute to load-shedding affecting households and businesses.

The Nigerian delegation also witnessed a factory acceptance test for high-voltage cables and related transmission materials at Hengfei Cable’s Changsha Industrial Park.

The test is intended to confirm that equipment for Nigerian transmission projects meets the required technical standards before shipment.

Tegbe also invited Chinese companies to invest in sectors with significant electricity demand and economic potential, including steel, automotive manufacturing, digital infrastructure and data centres, cold-chain logistics and sugar processing.

He proposed a structured Nigeria–China industrial cooperation platform to identify, assess and develop bankable projects aligned with Nigeria’s industrialisation priorities.

According to the statement, the platform would link additional generation and transmission capacity with industrial demand, with the aim of supporting job creation and improving the commercial viability of the power sector.

The engagements are part of the Ministry of Power’s strategy to use international partnerships to mobilise capital, expand electricity infrastructure, increase system capacity and improve reliability.