Nigeria has commenced construction of a 1,350MW gas-fired power plant close to the capital Abuja, the country's presidency has announced.
His office added in a statement that the Gwagwalada Independent Power Plant, led by the country's state-owned oil firm NNPC in a joint venture with China Machinery and Engineering Corporation, will supply about 11% of Nigeria's energy needs and will be built in three phases.
According to the presidency, the project is consistent with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's campaign promises to boost the country's electricity capacity.
"This [project] is in line with President Tinubu’s campaign promise to increase power generation beyond the current 12,000MW, address power value chain challenges, and remove all distribution bottlenecks," the statement read.
Tinubu, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony, noted that this milestone is a "bold statement towards fulfilling our promise to provide clean and efficient energy to Nigerians."
NNPC head Mele Kyari added that the plant will be a golden chance for Nigeria to capitalize on its plentiful gas resources.
"Today's groundbreaking of the Gwagwalada Independent Power Plant is an opportunity to monetize our abundant gas resources. Expanding access to energy will change the game in the energy mix," Kyari remarked.
Earlier, at the second Russia-Africa Summit, government spokesman Gabriel Aduda told Sputnik that Nigeria will discuss the possibilities of gas exploration and production in the West African country with Russian multinational energy company Gazprom.