By Naijatruth
The Nigerian power sector will receive 37 million Euros from the European Union (EU), according to the EU Head of Mission to Nigeria, Amb. Samuela Isopi.
She made this announcement during her visit to the Power Minister, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, on Friday in Abuja.
She was joined by the new Head of Cooperation of the EU, Mr Luca Massimo and Mr Godfrey Ogbemudia, the Energy Programme Manager. She said that this amount was in addition to the 200 million Euro grants that the EU had given to the sector since 2008.
She explained that the EU had various intervention programmes in the power sector, and that the current support would focus on small hydro-power and solar energy for health care facilities.
She also said that the current intervention would include rural electrification with isolated and interconnected mini-grids project, and circular economy.
She assured that the projects would start soon.
She invited the minister to attend the inauguration of two projects that the EU had funded and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) had implemented.
The minister, who welcomed the ambassador with his Chief Technical Advisor, Mr Adedayo Olowoniyi, thanked the EU for its continued support to the sector.
He said that the sector needed more support to overcome the huge challenges it faced.
He identified liquidity as the main problem that the government was working hard to solve. He said that the market would only be sustainable and efficient when there was a fair tariff system.
He expressed his satisfaction with the EU programmes for the sector and affirmed their compatibility with the ministry’s strategy.
He pledged to cooperate with the EU on its programmes, especially on small hydro and state electrification projects under the new Electricity Act.