Cross River govt urges power firm to embrace hydropower technology

The Cross River State Government has urged private power firms to embrace hydropower technology and build power plants in the state to boost its economy.

Governor Ben Ayade stated this while receiving the representatives of Buoshishi International Limited, a private firm that plans to build a 300-kilometer transmission line in the state.

Gov. Ayade implored the company to explore the use of current technology in hydropower to generate electricity, as the state boast if 126km of Atlantic coastline stretching.

“You have no business going outside Cross River State because the state has the right environment, it has the right character, it has the right people, and it has the governor who comes from a business environment.

“As a state, we actually have 182kva transmission station from Odukpani to the northern part of the state. However, the transmission route is going through the new 260km superhighway and our concept is to gradually shift the entire state into the superhighway route because that is where all the factories, new cities are being built, so what you will do is to build this transmission lines knowing that most companies are planning to relocate to Cross River,” he said.

“Our business with you is to create a synergy that can enable you to evacuate power from Odukpani to the northern part of the state. However, the national power plant transmitting power to northern part of Cross River State from Abakiliki has been dysfunctional with most of the conductors weak and poor, substations not working, resulting in huge loss of power across the transmission circuits, and so the people of northern part of the state have for the past seven years not been having light. This new line will indeed be a great boost to the socio-economic live of the people,” he said.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Buoshishi International Limited, Ambassador Yahaya Abdullahi Mohammed, stated that “We were attracted to Cross River State because of the investors’ friendly environment the state offers, which is near zero crime rate as well as the governance style exhibited by Senator Ben Ayade.

“We are ready to build a 300km transmission lines spanning from the southern to the northern part of the state under a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) agreement. We are to provide the required technical know-how and funding and in doing this, we will prioritize our recruitment of both skilled and unskilled to favour Cross River indigenes.