Abia Benefits from $750m World Bank Renewable Energy Programme, Collaborates with ISA to Develop Mini-grids

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogoin Umuahia

The Abia State Government has intensified its search for alternative sources of energy to enhance power supply in the state and minimise reliance of residents on the national grid for their electricity needs.

To this end, the State Commissioner for Information, Prince OkeyKanu, said the Abia government has elected to participate  in the Distributed Access to Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) programme.

He said that the $750 million World Bank intervention and renewable energy development programme “will in no small way boost the electricity sector of the state”.

Kanu, who spoke with journalists after the meeting of the State Executive Council, said that Abia was collaborating with the International Solar Alliance(ISA) to develop regulations for the operation of the mini-grid system for electricity power distribution in the state.

He stated that Abia was desirous of playing big in the power sector by making huge investments as well as getting the private sector investors to capital into power sector.

According to him, the collaboration with ISA would enable Abia government to achieve its agenda of building a robust power sector adding that it would .

He said: “This collaboration will enable ISA to support the state government through the use of power and public utilities to establish a thriving environment that will attract investments and sustain solar power projects in the state, thereby driving growth and mitigating climate change”.

ISA is a treaty-based international organization formed in 2015 by India and France and presently has 123 member countries. It aims to promote solar energy and reduce the cost of solar power generation through a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries and the wider global community.

Kanu said that Abia has already prepared a fertile ground for a thriving power sector following the enactment of the State Electricity Law 2025, which effectively domesticated power generation and distribution under state government control.

He stressed that the state government was ready “to exploit to the fullest, the whole gamut of the state’s electricity value chain in order to drive industrial growth in the state”.

The Information Commissioner also stated that the decision of government to use direct labour in execution of road projects was yielding the desired results as more and more roads were being rehabilitated.

He said that the State Ministry of Works has undertaken no fewer than 54 road projects that have either been completed or ongoing across the state.

Kanu noted that through direct labour, government has been able to save huge amounts of money that would be channeled to other sectors for the holistic development of Abia.

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