METKA Power West Africa, has assured that it will continue to partner with Nigerian government so as to find a lasting solution to the problems of electricity in the country.
Evangelos Kamaris, managing director of METKA Power West Africa, gave the assurance recently during commissioning of the 7.1MW solar hybrid power plant in Bayero University Kano (BUK).
He said METKA very much believes in Nigeria and the vision of its leadership in the power sector, and it appreciate the opportunity to be part of the project.
METKA he assured will strive for constant business excellence – balancing economic growth and sustainable development – and will continue to support the efforts of government in the development of the Nigerian electricity market until the nation achieves stable and reliable power supply.
“The commitment of the company to the country goes beyond installations alone: We are also focused on transferring knowledge and building local capacity. To this end, METKA organizes periodic technical training workshops, providing opportunities for professionals in Nigeria to enhance their skills, enabling them to support the installation and operation of systems utilizing the award-winning EXERON technology. The next training is scheduled to hold in Abuja later this September.”
On the impact of the firm’s operations, the METKA boss said besides improving learning conditions at the university, the state-of-the-art solar hybrid power plant will result in carbon dioxide savings of 108,875,120Ibs, a feat we as green contractors are proud of. In addition, the Energizing Education Programme will also generate jobs for the host
communities. At the moment, over 100 skilled Nigerians are employed across all four (4) projects sites.
Under the implementation of the Rural Electrification Agency ( REA), the BUK power project is part of the Energizing Education Programme (EEP) – a federal government intervention focused on developing offgrid dedicated independent power plants and rehabilitating existing distribution infrastructure to supply clean, safe and reliable power to thirtyseven (37) federal universities and seven (7) affiliated university teaching hospitals.
METKA is to do similar projects in three other universities in the first phase of the programme. These are Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun; and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
While speaking at the BUK launch, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo commended METKA for its strategic partnership and professional execution. He noted that the project would benefit thousands of students and other members of the university community, enhancing the quality of teaching, research and learning while also empowering the girl child and providing job opportunities for many, in line with the Next Level agenda of the Buhari administration.
Mamman Salleh, the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Power, stressed the government’s commitment to enabling the development of the educational sector – given its importance in catalysing economic growth – by lighting up institutions of learning. “The Ministry’s power policy specifically targets education to ensure that all federal universities, to begin with, have access to reliable electricity”, he said.
