REA to Expand AE-FUNAI Solar Plant for Sustainable Energy Supply

The Rural Electrification Agency, Abuja, has promised to upgrade and expand the hybrid solar power plant established by the federal government of Nigeria in 2019 at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, to provide sustainable, uninterrupted and reliable green energy to the university community as part of government’s energizing education programme.

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) is a Federal Government Agency responsible for implementing policies and programmes to expand access to electricity in rural areas of Nigeria.

Speaking during an unscheduled visit to the 2.8 mega watt power plant recently, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Abubakar Aliyu said the agency would upgrade and expand the solar power plant from its current 2.8 MW capacity to 10 MW, to provide sustainable and reliable energy to power the university and its environs especially now that the institution is expanding rapidly.

He noted that the excess energy from the expected expansion activities would be distributed to homes and businesses in neigbouring communities for a fee, stressing that electricity tariffs will be introduced to connected homes within the university host community to sustain steady power supply.

Aliyu commended the University under the leadership of Professor Sunday Elom for successfully managing and sustaining the Solar Hybrid Plant since its inauguration by the Federal Government on 2nd August, 2019. Given the successful management of the power plant, he stated, that the Agency will send a team to the university to study how it was able to successfully run the plant in the past 6 years, to serve as a model of emulation for other institutions in Nigeria.

He further assured that the Agency has plans of changing the batteries of the solar plant as it has the life span of eight (8) years, and are currently running for six (6) years, adding that the essence of upgrading the solar plant was to match the current expansion activities of the University

Concluding, the REA helmsman said the agency is working to ensure long term sustainability of the power plant including proper battery maintenance.

The University Management in its response commended the Federal government for its timely intervention through the establishment of the power plant, noting that it brought enormous relief to the institution in the critical area of electricity power supply.

Management further thanked the leadership of the Rural Electrification Agency for the visit, and more importantly for promising to upgrade and expand the capacity of the solar power plant as the existing capacity is no longer sustainable because the University is expanding in population and infrastructure.