Eunice Imo Kalu
Lagos — In an effort to provide adequate, reliable and quality electricity to businesses and households in the country, the Federal Government has unveiled a 300KWp Solar Photovoltaic, PV, pilot project, including a Battery Energy Storage System, BESS, Kainji, Niger State.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, asserted that the initiative would boost power generation capacity, lower electricity costs, and boost collaboration between Mainstream Energy Solution and its Chinese partner, HEDC, in renewable energy.
According to a statement by Bolaji Tunji, Special Adviser for Strategic Communication and Media Relations to the Minister, the project incorporates a 675kWh Battery Energy Storage System, BESS, an integral extension of 1G3 and 1G4 under the rehabilitation of the 1G9 in Kainji Hydro Power Plants, HPP.
The Minister highlighted the ministry’s commitment to meeting power demand, improving distribution and transmission infrastructure, addressing technical and commercial losses, closing metering gaps, and resolving challenges related to liquidity, power theft, and vandalism.
“It is of no use to expend so much energy in providing power facilities if the delivery channel is weak, that is why the Ministry is concentrating on improvement of the transmission and distribution capacity”, he said.
Adelabu stressed the importance of collective responsibility in protecting these national assets, urging communities where power projects are sited to police them against theft and destruction.
He said: “What is the essence of government and private companies expending resources on these power facilities while some elements within the society will deliberately move to destroy the facilities which are national assets. What we witnessed towards the end of 2023 was disheartening.
“Some of the power towers were brought down with loss of lives, in some cases, this is quite unfortunate. We should take it as a personal and collective responsibility to protect the infrastructure.”
Adelabu reiterated the government’s commitment to bridge the metering gap, highlighting ongoing efforts through the Presidential Mass Metering Initiative.
“Presently, we have about 12 million electricity users, but only about five million are metered. As we are all aware, the President set up the Presidential Mass Metering Initiative of which I am the chairman, we are working assiduously on this initiative to bridge the metering gap”, he said.
In his part, Engr Lamu Audu, Managing Director of Mainstream Energy Solution, affirmed the project’s alignment with the National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency policy of the federal government which sets out the blueprint to increasing the country’s renewable energy development by 2030.
He revealed plans for an additional 450MWp and 150MWp Solar PV project at Kainji and Jebba Hydro Power Plants, stressing the need for constant government support to draw private investors and ensure sustainable power supply for economic development.
