Bayelsa begins EIA for proposed 60MW power plant
The Bayelsa Electricity Company Ltd, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment, commenced the Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed 60-megawatt power plant on Friday.
The power plant project, led by the Bayelsa government, is located in Elebele, a suburb on the outskirts of the state capital.
Governor Douye Diri had announced plans to establish an independent power project to end the state’s reliance on the national grid and provide uninterrupted power supply across Bayelsa.
Steve Bubagha Jnr., the director of operations at the Bayelsa Electricity Company Ltd., conducted the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, and his team around the project site.
Mr Bubagha explained that the company planned to install a 60MW “plug and play” gas-fired turbine to receive gas feed from the Oando gas manifold in Elebele.
He added that the total land area for the project is approximately 5.8 hectares, with 2.1 hectares currently being used.
“The Independent Power Plant is officially known as the ‘Yenagoa Power Project. This is a ‘Plug and Play’ Gas Turbine. What we mean by ‘plug and play’ is that the turbine is already set to be installed upon arrival from the manufacturers.
“We are only working on other components, so the turbine should be running in less than two years, or at most, in two years’ time’,” Mr Bubagha explained.
Following the site visit, the minister of environment stated that the purpose of the visit was to ensure the EIA process adhered to standard guidelines before granting final approval to the project.
He lauded the state government for initiating the project, noting that it would benefit Bayelsa and contribute to solving Nigeria’s power supply challenges once completed.
Azibola Inegite, EIA consultant for the project and dean of the Faculty of Science at Niger Delta University, assured that international best practices would be followed in conducting the EIA.
He emphasised that the EIA was essential for successfully executing impactful land and environment-related projects.
(NAN)
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