Nasarawa To Generate 100mw Electricity From Coal- Gov. Sule
The Nasarawa State government is set to generate private electricity from coal deposit in Obi local government area of the state.
Governor Abdullahi Sule who announced this in Obi at the flagging off of the construction of a 2 kilometer solar powered streetlights in Obi and Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Areas disclosed that his administration has finalised arrangements with a private electricity firm, General Electric (GE), to generate 1000 megawatts from coal deposits in Obi Local Government Area.
According to the governor, “I’m happy that we are here this morning to kick-start this project but my happiness will come fully when the investors from South- Africa are here to use the coal deposits in Obi to generate the 1000 megawatts that will power the entire state.”
The governor said the power generation project will not just provide services to the people of Obi but will also create a coal mine that will generate employment for the teeming unemployed youths in the state stating that the 2km solar powered streetlights would be replicated in the 13 LGAs in the state to actualize the commitments he made during his inauguration, to achieve in his first one hundred days in office.
While noting that the construction of the solar powered streetlights in each of the 13 council areas was one of the 47 projects under the 2018 conditional grants scheme of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), governor Sule said his administration will continue to partner and honour its obligations to development partners to ensure the execution of projects that would have direct bearing on the lives of the people of the state. .
He further restated the resolve of his administration to attain the 17 goals of the SDGs aimed at improving the quality of education, provision of portable drinking water, as well as sanitation and modern energy for a prosperous Nasarawa State.
According to governor Sule, “the objective of the exercise is a zero emission power endeavour that is generated through natural sources and ensures energy efficiency, lessen reliance on fossil fuel and reduce global warming due to climate change.
It’s an energy that is generated from renewable sources which are naturally replenished on human time scale, such as sunlight and wind, with a view to reducing negative effect on the ozone layer and other soil degradation,” the governor explained.
Sule gave the assurance that aside from beautification, the solar powered streetlights project will enhance socio- economic activities across rural communities and that it’s a compact project not easily prone to theft and vandalization unlike in previous cases.
He however urged members of the benefitting communities to evolve means of safeguarding the projects, warning the contractors handling the projects to adhere strictly to specifications and standards and to also ensured that the work is completed within the 3-months time frame.
Earlier, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Abubakar Murtala, said the project is a synergy between four distinctive organization
“Engineer Sule is building on continuity, consolidation and sustainability. We are witnessing this feat in the first one hundred days because you can’t have development without synergy between sister agencies and particularly, the sterling leadership provided by the governor,” the SSA stated.
