- Nigeria is building a solar module assembling plant in the town of Akpugo, located in the southeastern state of Enugu.
A groundbreaking ceremony took place on July 27, attended by Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Geoffrey Nnaji. Nnaji wrote on social media the plant will reduce dependency on imported energy solutions and create numerous job opportunities for the local community.
“Similar projects would be replicated at other Centres of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) nationwide namely; Benin, Ilorin, Lagos, Bauchi and Sokoto to cut across the six Geopolitical Zones,” the minister added, without providing more details about the manufacturing facility.
Speaking after the ceremony, Mustapha Abdullahi, Director of Nigeria’s General Energy Commission, said the need to boost access to electricity in Nigeria “cannot be overstated”.
“Despite the country’s vast resources and potential, the Nigerian grid remains inefficient and inaccessible to many parts of the country. This inadequacy hampers the country’s socioeconomic development and affects the quality of life for millions of Nigerians,” Abdullahi said. “In addressing these challenges, photovoltaic electricity emerges as a crucial solution. Solar energy offers a sustainable, reliable, and decentralised power source that can reach the remotest corners of our country, bringing light and hope to all.”
According to a statement published by the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Abdullahi strongly believes the solar module assembling plant will significantly boost the commission’s development capacity to domesticate solar PV technology in Nigeria.
Nigeria had deployed 112 MW of solar at the end of last year, up from 102 MW at the end of the year prior, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Earlier this year, the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria and Husk Power Systems signed a memorandum of understanding to deploy up to 250 MW of decentralised renewable energy projects across the country.
Author: Patrick Jowett
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
