Reps invite REA, NASENI, others over $2bn renewable energy investment

The House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy has invited the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), NASENI Solar Energy Ltd, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Country Representative European Union and other stakeholders to appear over the $2 billion renewable energy grants and investments meant for the development of […]

The House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy has invited the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), NASENI Solar Energy Ltd, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Country Representative European Union and other stakeholders to appear over the $2 billion renewable energy grants and investments meant for the development of the renewable energy sector in Nigeria.

The panel is conducting an investigative hearing over the investment which it said had not made a commensurate impact on the energy security challenges in the nation.

The investigation followed a resolution of the House after the adoption of a motion titled, “Need to Investigate Investments in Renewable Energy Sector and Foreign Grants received from 2015 till date”, sponsored by Rep. Okey-Joe Onuakalusi.

In his motion, the lawmaker lamented that successive governments since 2015 had made substantial investments and attracted multimillion-dollar foreign grants to the renewable energy subsector of Nigeria’s power industry to create a viable and sustainable alternative energy supply.

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He informed that in December 2023, the World Bank approved a $750 million facility to boost renewable energy in Nigeria, with the goal of providing over 17.5 million Nigerians with improved access to electricity through distributed renewable energy solutions.

According to him, in 2020, the federal government launched a $200 million renewable energy project, tagged, ‘Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP),’ aimed at providing off-grid energy to over 500,000 people across 105,000 households in rural communities, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Chairman of the committee, Rep. Victor Afam Victor, in a statement in Abuja on Sunday informed that the probe would cover the period from 2015 to 2024.

He stated that the public hearing scheduled to hold on Tuesday, November 5, and Wednesday, November 6, 2024, followed the mandate given to the committee by the House of Representatives on Thursday, June 6, 2024, to investigate Ministries, Departments, and Agencies with dealings in investment, procurement, and receipt of grants for the development of the renewable energy sector.

Ogene said that the House was miffed that “despite government attracting over $2 billion in renewable energy investments in the past decade, as reported by the Rural Electrification Agency in 2023, there has been no noticeable improvement in the sector.”

“The House of Reps was alarmed that the dysfunctional electricity generation and supply system persists, contrary to the objectives behind government investments and grants aimed at developing the renewable energy sector, hence the resolution to probe these investments in order to determine the integrity of the procurement and execution processes,” he added.

He said the investigation was not to witch-hunt but to discourage opaqueness and promote transparency and objectivity in handling government or public resources.

He thanked the European Union and other donor agencies for their useful submissions, insights and cooperation in sharing information with the committee.

According to the statement, the invited agencies and stakeholders include, but not limited to Rural Electrification Agency, Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), NASENI Solar Energy Ltd, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Country Representative European Union, Union Bank Plc (Compliance Department), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Federal Ministry of Power, Energy Commission of Nigeria and Federal Ministry of Finance.

Others are Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Federal Ministry of Environment and Ecological Management, Federal Ministry of Petroleum (Gas Resources), Niger Delta Development Commission, United States Agency for International Development, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Accountant General of the Federation, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Associations (Alliance) (REEEA-A) and Other Concerned Stakeholders.