Macro- and Micro-Hydropower: An Option for Socioeconomic Development. Case Study – Agbokim Waterfalls, Cross River State, Nigeria. R. Uhunmwangho, Ph.D. and E.K. Okedu Department of Electrical/Electronic Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. E-mail: tripodeng@yahoo.com kenokedu@yahoo.com ABSTRACT Over the last few decades, there has been a growing realization in developing countries that macro- and micro-hydro schemes have an important role to play in the economic development of remote rural areas, especially mountainous ones. The Agbokim Waterfalls located 23 km from Ikom Town is one of such macro-hydro schemes that can provide power for industrial, agricultural and domestic uses. The Agbokim waterfall is located in a hilly terrain cuts < flow rate of 7m 3 /sec that is perpetual, flowing all year round unto a head of approximately 40m producing approximately 2.2 mega watt power to 8 communities of about 4,000 persons. Land acquisition problems, difficult and inaccessible sites, geological surveys, and funding are of some of the constraints in developing the Agbokim hydro schemes. The key areas of interest were stream flow data, water quality, interconnection cost consideration and financing. A cash flow evaluation was used to determine the economic viability of the hydro scheme by looking at the overall revenues which includes the energy sales and the expenses on a year by year basis. (Keywords: hydropower, energy sales, electricity demand) INTRODUCTION Power is a critical infrastructure for economic development and for improving the quality of life. However, it is a matter of concern that the annual average per capita consumption of Nigeria is about 14.6kWh, which is among the lowest in the world. Further, people in a large number of urban and rural villages have no access to electricity. The end users of electricity like households, farmers, commercial establishments, and industries are confronted with frequent power cuts, both scheduled and unscheduled. Power cuts, erratic voltage, and low or high supply frequency have added to the ‘power woes’ of the consumer. These problems emanate from:  Inadequate power generation capacity;  Lack of optimum utilization of the existing generation capacity;  Inadequate inter – regional transmission links;  Inadequate and ageing sub – transmission and distribution network leading to power cuts and local faults;  Slow pace of rural electrification;  Large scale theft and skewed tariff structure. In order to improve on the social economic well- being of Nigerians, there is need to provide affordable power. With increasing price of fuels and cost of installation, the cost of power generation has significantly increased. While attending to the task of improving the country’s generation capacity, high priority is to be given to reduce the cost of power to enable different segments of the population and the economy to effectively utilize power as an input. As a result, adoption of best practice and choosing least cost options in capacity addition will be encouraged. One of these options will be the small or macro– hydro power. Hydro power became an important resource for electricity generations at the beginning of the electricity era. The first hydropower scheme was installed in Wisconsin in September 1882 only few years after Thomas Edison invented the light bulb (Energizing Sustainable Development, 2002). Soon after, it became a popular option for electricity generation around the world. At present nearly 20% of the total electricity consumed worldwide comes from hydroelectric plants (Micro Hydropower Systems, 2006). In some countries The Pacific Journal of Science and Technology –529– http://www.akamaiuniversity.us/PJST.htm Volume 10. Number 2. November 2009 (Fall)