The Rural Electrification Agency (REA), under the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, says it plans to provide constant electricity to about 500,000 small businesses within 350 economic clusters in the country in the next 5 years.
Damilola Ogunbiyi, managing director, REA, who made this known Tuesday, in Aba, Abia State, at the commissioning of Ariaria Market Independent Power Project, said the effort is aimed at empowering small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), which are at the centre of Nigeria’s economy.
She stated that the Energising Economies Initiative (EEI) seeks to address power deficiencies experienced by economic clusters such as markets, industrial clusters and shopping complexes, through off-grid solutions.
Ogunbiyi explained that the first phase of the Ariaria Market Independent Power Project has energised 4,000 shops, noting that the shops are presently receiving constant, cleaned metered electricity with the remaining shops expected to be connected this year.
According to her, the project is in fulfilment of a commitment made by the present administration in the country to increase energy access through sustainable and renewable energy solutions.
In her words, “To date almost 10,000 shops have been electrified as part of the initiative within Ariaira Market, Sabon Gari Market in Kano, Sura Market complex, Iponri market in Lagos and Isikan market, in Ondo.
“The Ariaria Market Independent Power Project is funded, constructed and operated by Ariaria Market Energy Solutions Limited (AMES) and consists of an independent gas-fired power plant, extensive distribution network and metering systems for each shop.
“The pre-paid meters mean that there is no more estimated billing and the traders only pay for what they consume, therefore we encourage energy conservation and payment of power supply.
“It is therefore very clear that this administration is committed to ensuring that Nigerian businesses are given the ability to thrive and thus boost economic activity in a conducive and healthy environment.
Ubani Ngaginieme, managing director, Ariaria Market Energy Solutions Limited (AMES), explained that the firm was set out to show and prove that when Government and private enterprise come together with strong will and alignment, great and wonderful things happen
He explained that Federal Government’s Energising Economies Initiative was responsible for their being able to carry out the project, stressing that the present administration in the country has created the enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Ubani explained that AMES deployed modular, environmentally-friendly natural-gas-fuelled gas generators to power Ariaria Market, but noted that its future deployments as they ramp up towards 10MW of power and connection of more than 37,000 shops-beyond the presently connected 4,000 shops, would include other renewable, like Solar, and other hybrids.
“What AMES has invested in, and built from ground up, is a complete captive power ecosystem that includes, proper customer enumeration/sensitization, all shops metered; a robust distribution network with redundancy; and a modular environmentally-friendly natural-gas-fueled power stacks”.
With this AMES setup in place, Ubani said AMES has been able to reduce the Ariaria Market emissions profile, by more than 85 percent, reduced the ambient noise in the market, by over 50 percent, made uninterrupted power available to sections of the market since October 2017 and provided and sustained jobs to over 100 Nigerians.
GODFREY OFURUM, Aba
