The $1.3 billion Zungeru Dam is being built on the Kaduna River, a tributary in central Niger. The work was constructed by two companies, Sinohydro and China Power Engineering Corporation.

According to Sinohydro, the first phase will be a 175MW turbine, followed by three more, with a total generation capacity of 700MW, covering about 10% of Nigeria's demand.

Work on Zungeru began in 2013, and Li Xiaoming, deputy director of the project, said the plan is now 95 percent complete. The rolling dam is 101m high and 233m long. After agreeing to the preferential loan from China Exim Bank, the Nigerian federal government will pay 75% of the project cost.