Federal Government to develop coal fields for electricity generation….

Mr Musa Sada, the Minister of Mines and Steel

The Federal Government would develop coal fields across the country to facilitate electricity generation and industrialisation, Mr Musa Sada, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, said.

The minister told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday that “everybody, including President Goodluck Jonathan, wants us to start producing power from coal.”

Sada said the Federal Government had introduced the National Integrated Infrastructure Master plan to develop coal fields as part of designed efforts to generate power and fast-track industrialisation.

According to him, the Federal Government has identified 16 coal blocks across the country, including Enugu, Gombe, Nasarawa, Benue, Delta and Kogi states.

He said the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and the National Steel Raw Material Exploration Agency were still undertaking exploration work on coal deposits in the country.

He added that “currently, NSRMEA is working on the exploration of coal in Obi in Nasarawa State. We have one of the best quality coal there; the agency has conducted a lot of study around there.”

Sada said there were two mines currently producing coal in the country, adding that one was located in Gombe, while the other was in Okopo in Kogi.

The minister explained that the Gombe and Kogi mines usually supplied coal to cement and steel factories to fire their kiln and produce clinker, instead of using gas or electricity. (Source - Punch)