… lauds Dangote coal technology for power generation
Considering the huge foreign exchange Nigeria incurs annually on imports of bitumen for road construction, the Federal Government has resolved to exploit opportunities in exploration and exploitation of mineral deposits locally available for road construction across the country.
The government resolution centres on dual usage of cement derivable from limestone and asphalt produced from locally endowed bitumen to construct roads, having contracted Dangote Group to undertake concrete roads in some states and hired PriceWaterhouseCoopers to come up with comparative advantage analysis of bitumen asphalt for road construction.
Speaking during a facility tour of Dangote Cement Plant at Ibese in Ogun State at the weekend, Kayode Fayemi, minister of mines and steel development, said it was high time Nigeria exploited naturally-endowed mineral resources such as limestone and bitumen for road construction, as against capital flight always recorded from importation of asphalt used in road construction.
Fayemi, who was in company of Bimbo Ashiru, Ogun State commissioner for commerce and industry, noted that huge loss of foreign exchange to imports of asphalt and other imported inputs used in road construction prompted the Federal Government to contract some concrete road projects to Dangote Group.
Apart from concrete road construction contracts that were given to Dangote Group and other players in cement industry, the Federal Government had also hired PriceWaterhouseCoopers “to do more work for us on our bitumen endowment and its comparative advantage for roads construction,” the minister said.
According to Fayemi, “We are not in any doubt about exploration and exploitation of our natural resources such as bitumen for roads construction in short term and for the production of petroleum products in long term. What is very important for us now is to exploit our bitumen for roads construction; we have had enough importation of bitumen asphalt.
“We have hired PriceWaterhouseCoopers to do more work for us on our bitumen endowment and its comparative advantage, we are going on bidding right very soon, we need short- and long-term exploration and exploitation of bitumen in this country not only for roads construction but also for wealth creation and employment opportunities.
“Bitumen asphalt for roads construction is a faster technology and something to be achieved faster than concrete, but that is not to distract attention from the usage of concrete for roads construction. We are ready to exploit the two for roads construction across the country and for exports too, for us to improve on the economy.”
Earlier, Joseph Makoju, special adviser to Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Group, had conducted the minister round the cement plant and coal-fired power plant that generates about 200mw and powers the cement plant, asking government to explore clean coal technology option to bridge power deficit in the country.
Fayemi, who was later asked by BusinessDay on how he received the call to explore varied options in power generation, including coal-fired means as part of efforts to improve on power generation and distribution in the country, said, It is not a challenge, it just confirms what we have always said.
“We have always said that in our energy means, it is not just gas, it is not just renewable energy, that we will use coal because we have an existential need in Nigeria for power and wherever we can get power, we use it. Dangote alone is producing about 200mw from coal. So, it proves our point that we can generate power from coal.”
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