The federal government and some private firms have planned to build Ashama 200 megawatts (MW) solar power farm, which may be the largest in West Africa.
The Minister of Power, Mamman Sale who spoke in Lagos, said when it is completed, “it will serve as the biggest utility solar project not only in the country but the West African region.”
Mamman, who was represented by his policy adviser, Abba Aliyu, said the project would be developed in partnership with Singapore-based renewable energy firm, B&S Power and SunnyFred Global.
He said it would be located on about 304 hectares of land in Ashama village, Aniocha South of Delta State as part of the government’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative.
Minister said solar was in the past believed to be too costly but noted that in the last decade the development cost of solar technology has dropped by more than 80 per cent.
“With that, installations at both a utility scale and consumer level have been increasing.
“Energy storage technology is also becoming cheaper, and as a result could help consumers to access cost-effective, off-the-grid capabilities,” he said.
He explained that the federal government had launched vision 30:30:30 to deliver 30 gigawatts (GW) of electricity with 30 per cent renewable energy by 2030, adding, “This is a key focus of the Nation’s electrification strategy to avail Nigerians reliable, sustainable and affordable power.”
Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Abubakar Sambo said diversifying into solar would bridge the electricity supply gap in the country in addition to generate employment through the value chain
He said, “It is possible for only solar PV to produce 11,575MW in 2030; 60,310MW in 2040 and 99,658MW in 2050.”
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