Nigeria’s AshakaCem (LafaregHolcim group) is constructing a 16MW power station for completion in early 2019. The NGN11bn (US$30.55m) project began in 2017 and is expected to be completed in January 2019, AshakaCem's Managing Director, Rabiu Abdullah Umar, said at a news conference in Gombe.

The power plant is also expected to boost the operational efficiency and tackle the high energy cost of the largest industry in Nigeria’s northeast. Umar said the power plant will not only release additional energy to the national grid but also create employment opportunities.