FG solicits EU’s support on renewable energy

Federal government has solicited support from the European Union (EU) for its renewable energy initiative.
It said this was determined by its desire to drive the renewable energy initiative to a logical conclusion.

Speaking when he received  the EU delegation in Abuja, Minister of state for Power, Mohammed Wakil, the bloc support would focus on ways of using the energy source in the country to drive poverty alleviation.
He said there was a linkage between high application of renewable energy and poverty alleviation, stressing that access to power by the rural population, the main beneficiary of renewable, would improve the rural economy.

He said the renewable matrix was designed to serve people far-flung from the nation grid in order access electricity via off-line and small grid system compact-able with this strategy.
He said part of the present government strategy, access to power was a tool for youth employment generation, poverty alleviation and economic emancipation of the people at the grassroots.
Commenting on the proposed National Policy on Renewable Energy (NPRE), Wakil said the policy had already reached advanced stage, informing further that it would soon undergo review by stakeholders before Federal Executive Council (FEC)ratification.

He also promised that the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) would soon experience new lease of life.
He further called on the EU to assist Nigeria in the areas of accessing development grants, capacity building both internal and external exposures of Nigeria’s  technicians and engineers.
He tasked the EU to provide framework for smooth work as proposed by the various Private Public Partnerships (PPP) projects that were on-going in Nigeria.

He equally solicits the co-operation of the visiting EU in the deployment of ICT and materials to Nigeria in the fight against pipeline vandals, whom he said  would stop at nothing to derail government efforts in providing electricity for Nigeria.
Earlier, the leader of the EU delegation, Ambassador Michel Arrion, advised the government on the need to ensure norms and standards were strictly adhere to in the proposed policy on renewable.
He added that it was the responsibility of Nigeria to regulate the equipment and appliances by ensuring that they were within the framework of the nation’s industrial policy.