Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has secured commitments from Chinese power engineering firms and financial institutions to accelerate delivery of Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) projects and expand Chinese participation in Nigeria’s electricity value chain.

The commitments were secured during high-level engagements in Beijing as part of the ongoing Nigeria-China power sector mission, which covers generation, transmission, project financing, and industrial manufacturing.

At a strategic meeting with Sinomach Group and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), two major contractors involved in Nigeria’s generation and transmission programme, Tegbe pressed for firm and accelerated completion schedules for ongoing PPI projects.

In a statement signed by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Minister, Adeola Labzy.

Tegbe also proposed a shift from conventional engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts to a broader partnership model under which Chinese companies would co-invest in projects, bringing capital, technology and technical expertise to generation, transmission, hydropower and associated industrial investments.

Building on CMEC’s established footprint in Nigeria, the minister said the partnership should deliver faster project completion, additional wheeling capacity and blended financing structures.

Tegbe, according to Labzy, also visited the China National Electric Engineering Corporation (CNEEC) to advance EPC cooperation on Nigeria’s transmission network, where bottlenecks continue to constrain the delivery of electricity to homes and industries.

As part of the delegation’s focus on transmission expansion, it witnessed a factory acceptance test for high-voltage cables and related transmission materials at Hengfei Cable’s Changsha Industrial Park.

The test was conducted to confirm that equipment destined for Nigerian transmission projects meets the required technical standards before shipment.

According to the ministry, the process would help shorten installation timelines and reduce the risk of delays once the materials arrive in Nigeria.

Beyond electricity infrastructure, Tegbe invited Chinese corporations to invest in sectors that are major consumers of power and drivers of economic activity, including steel, automotive manufacturing, digital infrastructure and data centres, cold-chain logistics and sugar processing.

He proposed a structured Nigeria-China industrial cooperation platform to originate, screen and develop bankable projects aligned with Nigeria’s industrialisation priorities.

The proposed platform would seek to match new generation and transmission capacity with anchor industrial demand, with the aim of supporting job creation and improving the commercial viability of the power sector.