Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has disclosed that the state government is considering generating electricity from the nine megawatts hydro power plant located within the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority.

The governor, who stated this during an on-the-spot assessment of facilities at the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority on Friday, said his administration was already in alliance with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) on the modalities for the takeover.

He said that taking over the hydro power plant would boost his administration’s plan to improve power supply across the state, as it would be merged with the 30 megawatts power plant in Onijanganjangan, which would ensure that the state has the right energy mix.

Abiodun stated that the abandoned dam and hydro power plant, commissioned in 1983, represents stranded renewable energy that his administration intends to take advantage of.

He described the idea behind the establishment of the dam as noble, as it was meant to manage water outflow from neighbouring countries, local water tributaries, irrigation, power generation.

“From the information we have, one of the three turbines was commissioned, but the other two were not commissioned because they were not fully installed.

“We have been engaging with the Bureau of Public Enterprises, and there is an alliance between our government and the Bureau to take over this hydro power plant and merge it with our gas-fired plant so that we have the right energy mix,” he said.

The governor also spoke on the need to turn the land around the River Basin into farm clusters to take advantage of the presence of water and irrigation for all-year farming seasons, in line with the Renewed Hope Food Initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.