Authors : Abisayo Ruth Adelaja; Khalimat Ozichu AbdulKadir AbdulKadir
Volume/Issue : Volume 7 - 2022, Issue 8 - August
Google Scholar : https://bit.ly/3IIfn9N
Scribd : https://bit.ly/3RwTJKF
DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7065978
Nigeria is blessed with so many human and
natural resources but there is a vital need to harness these
resources to serve its citizens. Renewable energy remains
the cleanest and most reliable energy type and Nigeria is
blessed with quite a number of these renewable energy
resources. Small hydropower is among the most accessible
types of renewable energy. By encouraging private
investment in the energy sector through reforms, the
Nigerian government has diversified its energy sources to
support the development of renewable energy, but this may
not be sufficient given that the nation still faces obstacles to
the construction of Small Hydropower Plants (SHPs). One
of such barriers is the lack of a proper Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) to be carried out on the proposed
SHPs in Nigeria. This review paper evaluates the need to
conduct an environmental impact assessment on the small
hydropower plants in Nigeria. It is concluded that for the
hydropower plants to stand the test of time, for it to operate
adequately and for the communities surrounding such
plants not to be adversely affected by the construction of
these plants, a proper EIA has to be carried out.
Keywords : SHPs, EIA, Electricity, Nigeria.