Mkpoikana Udoma
This comes on the heels of the first interconnected mini-grid power solution for communities in Nigeria launched by AEDC and its partners in Toto, Nasarawa State last November.
Under the agreement, AEDC will provide 18 hours of electricity supply to Wood Factory, while Daybreak Power will provide six hours of solar-powered electricity to Wood Factory, both leveraging interconnected power facilities to deliver a seamless electricity supply and value to the customer.
This integrated power solution, according to the Abuja disco, is expected to yield an estimated 44 per cent reduction in energy costs and a 76 per cent annual decrease in carbon emissions for Wood Factory.
The Managing Director of AEDC, Christopher Ezeafulukwe, said the agreement was in furtherance of AEDC’s transformational strategic objective of redefining customers’ experience by providing reliable electricity supply to both existing and new customers, including the unserved and underserved customers.
Ezeafulukwe noted that under the ongoing transformation in AEDC, the company was driving its repositioning as a clear leader amongst the power distribution companies in the country.
According to him, AEDC remains dedicated to ensuring reliable, safe, and sustainable electricity delivery to its customers, cutting across the FCT, Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi States.
He said, “We are excited about the great opportunities that the transformation and turnaround of AEDC is giving us to serve our customers, both new and existing, in more delightful ways. This project is a product of our consistent questioning of the status quo in the resilient push of our conviction and belief in using diversified energy sources to serve our customers better while closing the supply gap in our market.
“Having previously commissioned an integrated power solution to serve some unserved communities in our network, the current solution for which we signed the agreement today, is focused on serving industrials and commercials, thus repositioning AEDC to serve all bands of customers within its network better. The two projects also confirm to the world, the readiness of AEDC to enter into complementary partnerships that will add great value to the Nigerian electricity market.
AEDC has been in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) through which the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) provides funding for feasibility study grants and facilitates the optimization of energy supply through distributed solar energy and grid power.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer of Daystar Power, Mr. Jasper Graf von Hardenberg, said the company will continue to partner with distribution companies to provide affordable power to Nigerian businesses.
“Working together with DisCos, we can provide reliable and affordable power to Nigerian businesses which will save on energy costs to reinvest in their operations. Our partnership with AEDC supports this position. It is just the beginning; we are looking forward to developing more hybrid solar projects for C&I customers in partnership with the likes of AEDC.”
For his part, the General Manager of Wood Factory, Mohamed Akar, expressed his excitement about the transition from self-generated supply to the integrated power supply which AEDC and Daybreak offer.
“We’re thrilled that we’ll soon be switching to a reliable integrated power solution to power our factory. For many years, we’ve operated on diesel generators, which is hardly sustainable or affordable. We believe that the future of our business has become brighter with this new partnership with AEDC and Daybreak.”
