Kainji Dam | |
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Location | Kainji, Niger, Nigeria |
Coordinates | 09°51′45″N 04°36′48″E / 9.86250°N 4.61333°E |
Construction began | 1964 |
Opening date | 1968 |
Construction cost | US$209 million |
Owner(s) | Federal Government of Nigeria |
Operator(s) | Mainstream Energy |
Dam and spillways | |
Impounds | Niger River |
Height | 65 m (213 ft) |
Length | 550 m (1,804 ft) |
Reservoir | |
Creates | Kainji Lake |
Power Station | |
Commission date | 1968 |
Turbines | 8 |
Installed capacity | 760 megawatts (1,020,000 hp) 960 megawatts (1,290,000 hp) (max) |
Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria.[1] Construction of the dam by Impregilo (a consortium of Italian civil engineering contractors) began in 1964 and was completed in 1968.[2] Its total cost was estimated at US$209 million (equivalent to about US$1.5 billion in 2023 dollars[3]), with one-quarter of this amount used to resettle people displaced by the construction of the dam and its reservoir, the Kainji Lake.[4][5]