Host Communities Of Hydropower Demand 10% Royalty From BPE

Shiroro Dam. Photo credit: Google

HYDROELECTRIC Power Producing Areas Development body which comprise host communities of hydropower, on Wednesday, met with the Bureau of Public Enterprises to demand 10% royalty payment from the concession of the plants.

HYPPADEC Managing Director, Abubakar Yelwa said the visit of his team to BPE was to find ways to get the 10% royalty incorporated in the organisation’s statute.

According to Yelwa, the royalty would be deployed by the commission in the development of host communities where the hydro plants were located.

In a statement issued in Abuja by the Head of Public Communications, BPE Amina Othman, indemnified the bureau as an agency that supervises the concession of the hydropower plants.

Othman revealed that the meeting was necessary for both parties to mutually agree on the way forward as royalty issue correspondence on the matter would not be adequate.

Yelwa called for a meeting that involving BPE, HYPPADEC and power generation companies to agree on the way forward.

Nigeria’s three functional hydropower plants situated in Niger state include 800 megawatts Kainji power station, 540MW Jebba Power station and 600MW Shiroro power Station.

While responding to the matter, BPE’s Director General, Alex Okoh said that the bureau will collaborate with HYPPADEC to better the lot of host communities of hydropower plants.

He also noted that operators of the hydropower plants will execute their Corporate Social Responsibility for the benefit of host communities.

On the request by the commission for the payment of 10 per cent royalty accruable to it as enshrined in the law setting up HYPPADEC, Okoh, who was represented by the Director, Energy, BPE, Yunana Malo, said both agencies would look at possible ways to handle the issue.

He also disclosed that, all revenues generated by the bureau in the sale of public assets were usually transmitted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal Government.