Kainji, Jebba plants cut output constraints with water forecast system

….as new machines set to enhance operations
The Chief Operating Officer (COO), of Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited (MESL), Mr. Jose Villegas, has disclosed that two of Nigeria’s three hydro power plants – 760 megawatts (MW) Kainji and 578.4MW Jebba plants-

would be able to maintain optimum efficiency in the amount of electricity they generate, following the installation of a state-of-the-art water management system at their operational site.

Villegas, told journalists during a recent tour of the plants in Niger state that the innovative water management system – Inflow Forecasting System and Operational Planning Tool (IFS-OPT)

had been installed at the plants’ water basin by Austrian firm Pöyry Energy, and would enable them maximise their generation during periods of high and low rainfalls.

Speaking alongside MESL’s Operations Supervisor for Jebba, Mr. John Onimisi, Villegas explained that efficient water management using the IFS-OPT would also keep the plants’ turbines in good condition, in addition to helping them manage their water discharge to avoid instances of flooding of communities downstream.

Jebba and Kainji, they added are about the only two hydro plants in the country with the IFS-OPT system.

Similarly, Villagas, stated that the plants were not allowed to operate at their optimal capacities because of frequent requests from the National Control Centre, Osogbo, on them to cut down output on account of distribution companies’ inabilities to take maximum power put on the grid.