Nigeria to launch renewable energy policy

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.