The South Korean government has pledged to provide $12.4 million for the construction of solar mini-grids in Nigeria.
The Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Kim Young-Chae made this known at the Stand-Alone Mini Grid Project Presentation granted by the Korean government in Abuja, Nigeria.
Mr. Young-Chae said the project to be implemented by the Korean Institute for the Advancement of Technology, KIAT was designed to meet the rising energy demand of rural communities by constructing solar power generation systems in cooperation with the Nigerian government.
He said, “It involves the construction of mini-grids in non-electrified rural communities near Abuja to ensure stable supply of power, the installation of transmission and distribution lines, supply of electric equipment and systems, and training for the operation and maintenance of mini-grids”.
Framework Agreement
Mr. Young-Chae explained that the project began as a framework agreement signed by South Korea and Nigeria which laid the foundation for technological support and related policies in relation to the Nigerian Electrification Project supported by the World Bank.
Also, the Senior Special Assistant to Nigeria’s President on Niger Delta, Senator Ita Enang lauded the move by the Korea government.
Senator Enang further asked that the project be extended to other parts of Nigeria, especially the Niger Delta region.
“For the demonstration, it is good to be in the Federal Capital Territory. But it will be better to extend it to other areas, so that you will get a wider buy in. I will suggest that we go to areas like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Akwa Ibom, which have a lot of concentration and Kano,” senator Enang said.
The Project Manager, Mr. Kim Dohyoung in his remarks said the project would provide standardised solutions for the power sector, environmentally friendly and sustainable energy development and eradicate poverty in Nigeria.
Mr. Dohyoung added that the project would begin with the project designing on April 2022 and extend to December 2024 and would be delivered in cooperation with the relevant government agency/agencies of Nigeria and local businesses.
Confidence Okwuchi
