Nigeria had concluded plans to launch a national policy on
renewable energy and energy efficiency to boost power supply in the country, a
top government official said on Friday.
In the policy, government sought to provide an integrated
framework for all stakeholders, especially investors in clean energy for power
generation and the general development of renewable energy in Nigeria, Minister
of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, told visiting Vice President of China Hydro
International, Han Yang, in Abuja.
He said government was committed to joining the global trend
of using clean energy and harnessing solar wind and hydro resources to address
the power challenge in the country.
The minister also said that the government was working on a
vision to generate about 30,000 megawatts from renewable sources to augment
supply from the national grid.
"We are committed to driving President Goodluck
Jonathan's agenda; his vision of a Nigeria where 30,000 MW will be generated
from renewable sources in the next one decade," he added.
"It is to that end that we are also working on a
Presidential Initiative on Renewable Energy for power generation," he
said.
According to him, this is to provide the needed political
support at the highest level of government for local and foreign investment and
drive in solar, wind, small hydro and bio-mass power. Wakil said the work had
reached advanced stage at the Katsina Wind Farm, with a capacity of about 10 MW,
while other renewable energy projects were ongoing around the country.
The minister added that Nigeria was ready to partner with
countries like China to develop its power sector. "We appreciate and envy
China's great strides in the field of renewable energy for power
generation," he added.
"Many Chinese investors are already in this country. We
welcome genuine investors and we offer them generous incentives, including
attractive tariffs and ease of profit repatriation," the minister said.
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