The German Government has pledged to invest 13 billion euros in the power sector.
Speaking at the launch of the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) guidelines for Solar mini-grid projects in Nigeria, the Country Director, GIZ Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ms Ina Hommers, said that the German Government would invest 13 billion euros in phase two of the project which will end in 2022.
GIZ is Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
In his remarks, on the launch of the ESMP Guidelines in Abuja, the Minister of State Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Engineer Hassan Musa said: “Part of the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Environment is to encourage the use of clean sources of energy and ensure environmental protection in Nigeria. It is in this vein that the ministry developed and approved an abridged ESMP Guidelines for solar mini-grids that will not only encourage more investments into the sector but ensure that our environment is protected in the process”.
In his remarks, the Director, Environmental Assessment Department of the Federal Ministry Environment (FMEnv), Mr Abbas Suleiman, elaborated on the key implications of the ESMP Guidelines for the sector and the environment.
“Given the exemption of solar power projects from requiring a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process and the peculiarity of solar mini-grids, it became imperative to develop a guideline that will regulate not just the environmental issues pertaining to these projects but the health and social aspects as well. The guideline is an encompassing document that provides a simplified step-by-step guide for developers and regulators on the activities to be carried out toward the approval of an ESMP, during the lifetime of a solar mini-grid as well as during project decommissioning” he said.
Earlier, the Head of Section, Economic Co-operation and Energy at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Inga STEFANOWICZ, reiterated that the EU will continue to strongly support and contribute towards Nigeria’s vision for a clean and sustainable environment.
