Kainji dam is one of Nigeria's most established dams creating about 500 megawatts of power in 2017 for a country with a populace around 170 million! A dam situated in Kainji, Niger State, Nigeria. Opened in 1968 with a development cost of about $209 million. A dam of 8 turbines that gets its water supply from Kainji Lake with aggregate introduced limit of 960 megawatts. Kainji Lake itself has a surface water level of around 1,243 Km2 with a most extreme profundity of 12.1 meters.
Because of the dam's almost zero hydroelectricity era for a populace of near 170 million, 40% of which is significantly off the national framework, it wound up plainly basic for Drillbytes to drive the matter further and in doing this, the section looked for the supposition of a worldwide master in power era, transmission and appropriation to look for courses in which the dam and such others like Jebba and Shiroro can be a wellspring of bliss to Nigerians, a particularly welcome help from the present status of bad dream.
Drillbytes talked with Mr Tunde Fasheun and he charitably exposed his psyche on what should be done in moving the dam and undoubtedly, the other two; Shiroro and Jebba forward. His considerations are here served for the advantage of the administration, oversight organizations and power purchasers.
"The key informational collections that are essential for deciding the dam's ability to produce hydroelectric power are; the water driven leader of the dam, the stream rate and turbine proficiency. Kainji dam fills various needs which go after the accessible water including misfortunes to vanishing. Kainji is a sprawling pool of around 1,200 square kilometers with a 66m pressure driven head at the solid area lodging the turbines. The vast majority of the structures were worked from earth and the dam itself is one of the longest on the planet.
The power station has an outline producing a limit of 960 megawatts (12 X 80 megawatts) base load yet just eight (comprising of 4 X 80 megawatts Kaplan sort turbines and 2 X 120 megawatts propeller sort turbines with an aggregate creating limit of 760 megawatts baseload) of the arranged twelve turbines was introduced. Perhaps, unusual stream in the Niger because of occasional dry seasons educated the choice not to introduce the four turbines and adjust of plant, BOP.
The common structure for the four turbines is set up. What is mind boggling is the turbine choice and utilization of a mix of various sorts of turbine plan with changing yield and proficiency. The Kaplan and propeller turbines are response turbines that need low water powered speed to work, require more upkeep power and have generally low productivity. The more than forty years of age plant has unintentionally outlasted its handiness. Because of the surge in populace development and the relating interest for power, the Kainji dam and the other hydroelectric dams direly should be restored and moved up to enhance their energy era limit.
The huge supply, shallow elevation and high stream rate may have educated the decisions made however there are impediments to what should be possible to enhance the dam's productivity because of its swamp gravity, the limited common structures, format and measurements. Hence, Kaiji hydroelectric power station might be in an ideal situation by supplanting the lower yield Kaplan responding turbines with an arrangement of 200 megawatts Francis turbines that would expand its energy era yield from 760 megawatts 2,400 megawatts. This potential ought to be researched further to perceive how the dam can be moved further in the range of ideal execution.
Work is in progress to restore the dam however then, such work ought to investigate redesigning the turbines and adjust of plant, BOP at the power station. The extra yield joined with a sound upstream water quantity understanding together with a decent store administration practices ought to ensure a continuous supply of base load into the national network. Also, Shiroro and Jebba hydroelectric power dams that make up the stream Niger hydro plan ought to be examined for an update and not simply keep up existing conditions".
In finishing up, Mr Fasheun submitted, "In settling these issues, the central government needs to burn through cash on updates, buy extra warm plants to fill in as Peakers that kick in amid pinnacle stacks just and through interest in a national control focus that oversees stack allotments under a National Electricity Agreement that guarantees the power plants are not keep running down due to over utilize. All the more significantly, each of the 36 states in Nigeria can be urged to assume liability for the power era in their area with such produced control sustained into the national network.
The state governments can seek after the private-open association, PPP choice in such manner if, as everybody knows, they don't have required finances independent of the Paris Club fortune. Besides, the execution of a national water/catchment strategy system that is commonly helpful to all partners ought to be investigated. At last, advertise constrains, and not government powers, ought to be permitted to decide valuing with the end goal that individuals will be allowed to pick who supplies them what and where, when such administrations are required."
It is clear from the accommodation over that the dam was conveyed when the nation had pretty much 50% of what it right now parades in the range of populace, power requests and comparing industrialization and urbanization, It is additionally certain that the structure worked more than forty years prior is in critical need of an update gravely expected to remove Nigerians from this persistent murkiness into the alliance of enhanced power.