By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
Recently, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, gave Nigerians hope on alternative power when he said investment in 1.52MW solar power plant will save Nigeria N270m in 20yrs.
Speaking at the commissioning of the 1.52 MegaWatts Solar Power project in Abuja recently, the minister said it would reduce the diesel consumption of the two ministries from 764,248 liters per annum to 166,825 liters per annum, adding that it would also save them N270,945,000 in 20 years.
Fashola said during the execution of the project, a total of 382 artisans and 176 skilled workers were employed, stating that it would also reduce the government’s operational expenses and recurrent expenditure.
The newly commissioned plant, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council on the 20th March 2019, will supply power to the five blocks in the two ministries.
He explained “ What we have delivered, is based on the mandate of the Federal Executive Council, is a 1.52 MegaWatts Solar System that will provide uninterrupted power supply to 5 blocks housing the Ministry of Works and Housing and Ministry of Environment and Lands.
“This project employed 382 artisans and 176 skilled workers throughout its duration, in fulfillment of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of creating jobs.
“It would see to the reduction of average diesel consumption from 764,248 litres per annum to 166,825 litres per annum and cost saving of NGN270,945,000 over 20 years and contribute towards the reduction of government operational expenses and reduction of recurrent expenditure.
“It has led to the upgrade and retrofitting of our electrical appliances by replacing 400 old Air-conditioning units with 400 new inverter-based energy efficient Air-conditioning units and replacing 2600 old light fittings with energy efficient LED ones all of which are energy saving because they consume 40% less energy’’
He stated that with this investment we have built our own Mini-Grid, in consonance with our administration’s policy to promote off grid option, thereby making more of the on grid power available to ordinary Nigerians who cannot afford the cost of investing in off-grid power.
He said other government buildings can follow this path and our team will be most enthusiastic to provide the support, and share our experiences and lessons learned, working with the Ministry of Power.
The minister expressed his deep appreciation to our contractor, for the efficient execution and more importantly for the sacrifice to complete this project in spite of the wide disparity between the foreign exchange rates in 2019 when the project was awarded and now, notwithstanding high importation costs of the parts.
“I want to also acknowledge two young people who were part of this project at different stages from inception to completion.
“They represent the positive impact of youth involvement in public service; and of course, I cannot forget Engr. Julius Olurinola, our Director of Engineering Services, whose role I liken to that of a midwife, supervising, monitoring and reporting the progress of this project from incubation to delivery.
“Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi and Engr. Femi Akinyelure, whom your Excellency appointed to the Rural Electrification Agency both of whom, with their colleagues, were involved in the energy audit and design of this project”.
While commissioning the 1.52 MegaWatts Solar Power project,President Muhammadu Buhari said it would provide uninterrupted power supply to the Ministries of Works and Housing; and Environment and Lands .
Buhari represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF),Boss Mustapha, stated that the project was a testimony of his administration’s commitment to increasing power supply across Nigeria through the mini grid.
He said the project would also assist in reducing the carbon emission that could be an environmental hazard in the country.
Speaking on the impacted of the policy ,he said, the impact of the policy is the access to small scale off-grid electricity and increasingly becoming available to Nigerians in the market places, universities and business premises.
“It is pleasing that the government is taking its own medicine by making its off-grid power, this is a worthy option for other agencies of government to consider.
“In addition to the policy implementation, this government has made commitment with other leading countries of the world under the Paris climate change agreement”,he emphasized.
He maintained that,the heart of the agreement is a resolve to reduce carbon emission by turning to renewable source of energy this 1.5 mega watt solar farm which is the largest solar project for a public building in Africa, which will enable us to reduce carbon emissions.
“This is one of the thing we are proud of, that we are contributing to saving the climate for future generation.
“The impact of reliable energy on the ability of our public servants housed in this building to efficiently discharge their responsibilities to the members of the public,” he said.
According to him, As critical enablers of the private sector, the improved efficiency in public service delivery can only be expected to translate to an improvement in the ease of doing business.
“The major objective of our economic plans is to grow the Nigerian economy and create jobs”.
He said, “I want to reassure you of our administrations commitment towards promoting energy efficiency by ensuring energy security to all Nigerians.
“There is a procurement of up to 150 mega watt solar power along Maiduguri axis to help address the issue of electricity supply in that axis and enhancing grid stability through the provision of green renewable energy.
“I commend the Honourabe Ministers and staff of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and their Contractor for the successful delivery of this project which hopefully is just the first of many more to be delivered across Nigeria in the public and private sectors”,Buhari said.
Similarly, Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abubakar, said that, the project has shown the consistent of Nigeria Nationally Developmental Contributions (NBC) under Paris agreement which was signed by president Muhammadu Buhari on the 2nd of September 2016 and 20th March, 2017 under the 75 section of the United Nations climate summit.
Mohammade said “It is therefore very pertinent that the federal government on its efforts has implement and mitigate this project for the benefit of Nigerians.
“It is also worthy to note the important of project to the federal ministries and other institutions of government including the federal ministry of environment.
“This would improve conducive working environment and also improve productivity of workers”.
“Our ministry is please to be identify with this noble project and I like to encourage other ministries and inter ministerial agencies to take a cue of this major initiative as part of the country climate change agreement,”he emphasised.
He commended the minister of works and housing and all the management of the ministry for achieving giant strides .
The Deputy Secretary General -United Nations, Amina Mohammed, who expressed confidence in the launching of the 1.52 Mwh said the project will bring more opportunities to the Nigeria economy and create new avenues for job .
Mohammed pointed out that 759 million people in the world still lack access to electricity and all the opportunities it brings for achieving the sustainable development goals.
“This is why it gives me great pleasure to be part of this launch ceremony which highlights Nigeria’s commitment to the energy transition with renewables.This is a great example of the kind of climate responsive action we need”.
She said projects like this one are a beacon of hope, a showcase of what is possible and urgently required to reach our global goals, including the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goal number 7 on energy.
This project launched today – engaging cutting-edge Tesla PowerPack, Canadian Solar modules, Schneider Electric electrical components, and Stantec – is an expression of the type of innovation on efficiency and renewables that the world needs.
“It shows how the public sector can lead the way on the retrofitting buildings at scale and set the benchmark in this area.
“This has shown how Nigeria Leadership is committed to energy transition to renewable energy”.
Meanwhile,The minister of state works and housing Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, described that,the project was born out of the need to have seamless supply of power which will enhance productivity of staff and by extension provide quality services to citizens.
He maintained that the project is a testimony to this administration commitment to critical infrastructural development which includes power supply.
