Nigeria, US sign deal on clean, reliable electricity

The federal government and a US firm, Sun Africa LLC, the largest US renewable energy company operating in Africa, have signed an agreement for the construction of 5,000 megawatts (MW) of solar generation and 2,500MW of battery energy storage power plants, with the agreement attracting about $10bn investment from the US government. Senior Special Assistant […]

Nigeria, US sign deal on clean, reliable electricity

Malam Garba Shehu

The federal government and a US firm, Sun Africa LLC, the largest US renewable energy company operating in Africa, have signed an agreement for the construction of 5,000 megawatts (MW) of solar generation and 2,500MW of battery energy storage power plants, with the agreement attracting about $10bn investment from the US government.

Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement issued yesterday, said that the deal was endorsed at the US-Africa Business Forum (USABF) in Washington DC.

He said the agreement was signed by Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; and Adam Cortese, CEO of Sun Africa, in the presence of Amos Hochstein, President Joe Biden’s Special Presidential Coordinator for the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.

President Muhammadu Buhari in his address on Tuesday, December 13, said, “As part of the National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy, we set the Vision 30:30:30 which aims at achieving 30GW of electricity by 2030 with renewable energy contributing 30 per cent of the energy mix,” in the presence of President Biden and other world leaders and sought the US’ support to achieve it.

Shehu said Sun Africa, Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy Limited (S&W), a leading US and international solar company, and the Nigerian government had been working on transforming grid-connected and mini-grid solar projects in multiple locations, including interconnection, electrification and smart meter infrastructure.