The Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HSA) has opened a public consultation on the preliminary sustainability assessment of Nigeria’s Kainji and Jebba hydropower plants. The consultation provides stakeholders with an opportunity to review the assessment and submit comments before the final assessment is completed.
The consultation runs from 18 August to 16 October 2026. The assessment report and consultation forms are available in English, Hausa and French.
Kainji and Jebba are among Nigeria’s most significant electricity-generating assets. Located on the Niger River, the two plants operate as a cascade, with Jebba approximately 100 kilometres downstream of Kainji.
Kainji was commissioned in 1968 as Nigeria’s first major hydropower plant. It has an installed capacity of 760 MW. Jebba followed in 1985 and has an installed capacity of 578.4 MW. Together, the two plants therefore have 1,338.4 MW of installed generating capacity.
The plants are operated by Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited (MESL) under a concession from the Federal Government of Nigeria. MESL took over operation of the facilities in November 2013, when the combined available capacity of the two plants was substantially below their installed capacity. Since then, the company has implemented a programme of rehabilitation and capacity recovery.
The two plants remain important components of Nigeria’s power system, while the reservoirs also have functions beyond electricity generation. The HSA assessment notes their contribution to flood management and local development in addition to power generation.
Assessment carried out under the Hydropower Sustainability Standard
The assessment was undertaken using the Hydropower Sustainability Standard (HSS), the HSA's framework for assessing sustainability performance in hydropower.
Unlike an assessment of a project under development, the Kainji and Jebba assessment concerns plants that have been operating for decades. The assessment therefore provides an opportunity to examine not only the environmental and social impacts of the facilities, but also how their current management and operations perform against internationally recognised sustainability criteria.
The assessment took place in two field periods, from 16–20 February and 23–27 March 2026.
According to the preliminary assessment, the plants demonstrate strong management systems and operational practices. The assessment identified no gaps against the HSS Minimum Requirements.
Among the positive findings are MESL's third-party certified environmental, health and safety management system, its labour and working-condition practices, governance processes and engagement with communities and government stakeholders.
The assessment also highlights the wider contribution of the facilities to surrounding communities. Through the Mainstream Foundation, the projects have supported initiatives in areas including education, health, infrastructure and access to safe drinking water.
The physical condition of the dams was also assessed positively, while the HSA considers the facilities to make an important contribution to flood management along the lower Niger River. The plants also qualify as contributing to low-carbon electricity generation.
Opportunities for further improvement
While the overall assessment is positive, the report identifies a number of areas where the sustainability performance of the Kainji and Jebba complex could be strengthened.
One of these concerns coordination between the plant operators and the institutions responsible for the wider reservoirs and surrounding ecosystems. This is particularly relevant for a cascade such as Kainji and Jebba, where reservoir management, water resources, environmental conditions and power generation are closely interconnected.
The assessment also identifies opportunities to strengthen biodiversity and fisheries management and to formalise reservoir operating arrangements.
Climate resilience is another area highlighted by the assessment. As hydropower depends directly on the availability and timing of water resources, changing hydrological conditions can have implications not only for electricity generation but also for reservoir management and downstream communities and ecosystems.
These issues illustrate an important characteristic of sustainability assessments of existing hydropower plants: good sustainability performance is not a one-off achievement, but an ongoing process of improving how infrastructure is operated and how its multiple uses are managed.
An opportunity for stakeholders to contribute
The HSA has made the preliminary assessment report available for public review and is inviting comments from interested stakeholders.
The consultation is particularly relevant to communities and organisations connected with the Kainji and Jebba reservoirs, government institutions, environmental and social organisations, the electricity sector and other stakeholders with an interest in the future management of the Niger River system.
The consultation is open until 16 October 2026.
The assessment report and consultation forms can be accessed through the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance's dedicated page for the Kainji and Jebba Hydropower Plants:
The assessment is notable not only for the two Nigerian plants themselves, but also for what it demonstrates about the role of sustainability assessments in the operation and rehabilitation of Africa's existing hydropower fleet. As many of the continent's large hydropower facilities enter their fourth, fifth or even sixth decades of operation, assessing their environmental, social and operational performance will become increasingly important alongside investment in their rehabilitation and life extension.